Town Meeting

It's the first Tuesday in March, which means that here in Vermont it's Town Meeting Day, an official state holiday. It's like a second Election Day, only more interesting. Like many towns in the state, my town holds its annual meeting on the Monday evening preceding Town Meeting Day. Despite the snow today, many of the town's 1100 residents turned out tonight and packed the elementary school's gym to discuss and vote on the town's business. It's an annual event I look forward to, and is one of the special things about living in this part of the world.

It's participatory democracy at its most elemental. Besides voting directly on the town's budget and the local school budget, it's a chance to discuss and debate in an open forum, besides a being chance where the whole town comes together and has chance to meet one another and catch up with what's happened since last year. There's usually a pretty good dinner too. FWIW, tonight after lots of back and forth discussion we voted to create a new capital fund budget to fund the replacement of big-ticket equipment like snowplows and fire trucks, and to hire an extra teacher for the school.

Not much car related in the whole thing (other than the road commissioner being absent because he was out plowing the roads), but I just think Town Meeting is one of the coolest things ever invented. B)

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Dave
'91 325iX

That sounds great, I'm from a small town also (a little south of you) and there are a few local get togethers that make you feel like part of a community. I like that too