There are more than 10,000 registered voters in Hopkinton, but typically no more than a few hundred show up to Town Meeting each year. Those that do attend are vested with tremendous power. They decide whether Hopkinton residents will pay higher taxes, whether our schools will be upgraded to support current and future capacity, and how public funds will be spent to improve pedestrian safety in our town.

Quite simply, this is the most consequential meeting of the year for Hopkinton taxpayers.

Town Meeting Basics

When: Monday, May 1, 2023 7:00 PM. Check-in starts at 6:00.

Where: Hopkinton Middle School Auditorium

What: Hopkinton Annual Town Meeting is an Open Town Meeting form of government which means that all Hopkinton registered voters have a direct voice and may vote on all warrant articles. A warrant article is a town meeting agenda item. Voters will either approve or reject an article.

Who: You. There must be at least 128 members in attendance for a quorum, and then the meeting can begin.

2023 Agenda

There are 48 articles to discuss at the 2023 Town Meeting. The moderator will read an overview of the motion, committee members may weigh in, and there may be a short presentation followed by a question & answer period from the audience. Each audience member is allowed up to two minutes to speak.

The entire agenda is available here. Some of the items are procedural / housekeeping items that require a vote for town government to function. 

Over the next few days HopNews will publish a series of articles with the most important warrant items and why they may matter to you.

First up, we’ll focus on short term rental rules, gun clubs and improvements to public safety in Hopkinton.

>> Town Meeting Part 1: Short term rentals, gun clubs and public safety