Education sessions precede town meeting
MMA Innovation Award winner - award presented on Jan. 17, 2004
In an effort to engage residents’ interest in Town Meeting and keep it a vital part of civic life in Lincoln, the Board of Selectmen introduced a State of the Town meeting in 2002 as part of the town’s planning process.
Unlike a traditional town meeting, State of the Town is a discussion between local officials and residents rather than a business meeting – no motions are made and not a single vote is taken. The town’s elected and appointed leadership present summaries of the key issues and challenges confronting the community, including a discussion of policy options for achieving the stated objectives, and then invite the residents to offer their views, comments and suggestions. Three hundred residents attended the 2002 meeting.
State of the Town was created to address increasing voter frustration with town meeting. Town officials learned that many citizens felt that the traditional planning and decision-making process, with its numerous meetings and hearings leading up to Town Meeting, provided little opportunity for meaningful citizen participation. The residents needed an efficient way to learn about the major issues and then a chance to express an opinion about priorities and resources early in the process, before plans and budgets are developed.
Lincoln held its second State of the Town meeting in November 2003.
Contact: Town Administrator Timothy Higgins at (781) 259-2600
Innovation award judges
Judges for the 2004 MMA Innovation Awards were Northeastern University Law School professor Peter Enrich, a former Lexington selectman, and Bruce Wallin, an associate professor of political science at Northeastern University and a former special assistant to the mayor of Trenton, N.J.
Written by MMA Publications/Web Director John Ouellette
