Committee member Sally (name in transcript only), presenting changes to two charter statutes, told members she had circulated materials and preferred to review the Town Manager Act before turning to the Town Meeting Act because those drafts had substantive edits. "I thought we'd look at the, before we go to the Town Meeting Act, go to the Town Manager Act, which I passed out in your packets here tonight," Sally said.

The committee agreed to send a consolidated draft report and redline revisions to the Select Board for placement on a future warrant article and to request time to present the report. The draft organizes proposed changes as substantive reforms and a set of grammatical/stylistic updates, and recommends that any revisions reaching warrant stage be presented to town meeting members in advance.

Why it matters: The committee’s work is intended to modernize the town’s governing texts, clarify how recalls and vacancies are handled, and increase representative engagement at the precinct level. The committee also flagged several operational changes that would affect voters and town meeting members if adopted.

Key proposed revisions and committee decisions

- Recall procedure language: Committee members debated whether petition and notice language should direct printed petition blanks and formal notices to the board, to the person whose recall is sought, or both. The draft used the term "voters" in places where members proposed replacing it with "petitioners" to make clear the materials are intended for those who submitted the affidavit or petition. Committee discussion noted an existing threshold in the draft recall provision requiring 350 registered voters to initiate an affidavit. Several members argued the town clerk should initially provide notice to the board rather than act as a quasi-process server.

- Vacancy/caucus wording (Section 7): John Jaworski moved a clarifying edit to Section 7 to simplify the sentence about filling vacancies and calling a special precinct meeting; the motion instructed the town clerk to call a special meeting "for the purpose of filling any such vacancy" either upon clerk notice or upon petition signed by at least 10 precinct town meeting members. The motion passed by voice vote. Jaworski said the proposed wording would read more clearly and accomplish the committee's purpose: "I would move to change section 7 to delete the, phrase that Sally suggested." (motion and second recorded in the minutes)

- Polling hours (Sections 8 and 12): The committee voted to change references to opening and closing times from prose such as "10:00 in the forenoon" and "08:00 in the evening" to plain times: 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The motion passed by voice vote.

- Report structure and recommendations: The committee reviewed an initial draft report that separates substantive recommendations (for example, reducing the size of town meeting and requiring nomination papers) from grammatical and stylistic edits. Members agreed the report should include an executive-summary-style preamble explaining which changes are substantive and which are clerical, and it should note where outside officials, former officials and community members provided input on specific topics. The draft also proposes that the Town Meeting Act be reviewed by the Town of Danvers at least once every 20 years.

- Precinct forum recommendation: Committee members discussed establishing an annual precinct forum intended to increase engagement between elected town meeting members and precinct residents. Members favored holding the forum in the January timeframe (proposed options included the third Monday in January, around Martin Luther King Jr. Day) so it would precede nomination and election timelines; they discussed logistics including school staffing and the possibility of holding the forum on an adjacent weekday evening to avoid holiday staffing conflicts. No formal binding action was adopted to set a specific date; the forum remains a recommendation in the draft report.

Votes and motions at a glance

- Motion to accept the draft with revisions made by Sally (mover and second recorded in minutes): approved by voice vote; one member stated an abstention earlier in the meeting because they had left early.

- Motion (John Jaworski) to amend Section 7 (vacancy/caucus language) to simplify notice/calling of a special meeting: seconded (Nova) and approved by voice vote.

- Motion to change polling-hour language in Sections 8 and 12 to read "10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.": approved by voice vote.

Other notable discussion points

- Finance committee wording: The draft clarifies the finance committee should consist of nine persons appointed by the moderator to staggered three-year terms, and that vacancies are to be filled by the moderator for the unexpired term.

- Town Manager Act and residency: Members continued discussion of the Town Manager Act and related proposals (including residency language); those sections were discussed but the committee deferred finalizing some Town Manager Act edits until a subsequent meeting.

- Minutes correction: A committee member noted the municipal light board's proper advisory relationship should include the electric utility director separate from the DPW director; the committee acknowledged the correction on the record.

What’s next

Committee members asked the chair to circulate an updated draft several days before the next meeting; the committee scheduled follow-up meetings to finalize the draft report and prepare to present it to the Select Board. The minutes record that the committee expects the Select Board to consider placing any recommended revisions on a warrant article and that the committee would be available to present the report at a Select Board meeting.

Ending: The committee adjourned after giving staff direction to circulate the revised draft and preparing materials for the Select Board and Finance Committee review.