The rules for the Town Meeting are in State law and also, in order of precedence, Bedford Town Charter, The Town Bylaws, Rules adopted by the Town Meeting, Town Meeting Time published by the Massachusetts Moderators Association, and custom of the Bedford Town Meeting.
Article 3.6 of the Bylaws of the Town of Bedford states that "In accordance with Massachusetts General Laws, the Town Moderator shall have complete jurisdiction over any Town Meeting held for the transaction of the Town's business." The Moderator runs the meeting and enforces the rules of Town Meeting.
Article 4 of the Bedford Bylaws lists Town Meeting Procedure in detail. These procedures outline in detail motions that can be made and action that can be taken by Town Meeting.
These procedures have been included in "A Guide to Open Town Meeting" (PDF) which was written by Betsey Anderson, former Moderator and now Deputy Moderator for Bedford.
View the Bylaws of the Town of Bedford.
To read an even more complete guide on Bedford that includes Town Meeting information, download "Know Your Town" (PDF), published by the Bedford League of Women Voters.
Town Meeting Time: A Handbook of Parliamentary Law is available from the Bedford Public Library or you can order a copy from the Massachusetts Moderators Association.