Leicester Select Board votes to ask voters whether budget items should move to Australian ballot

At the Select Board meeting the chair moved to add an article to the town warning asking whether budget articles should be decided by Australian ballot beginning in 2026; members debated turnout, fairness and the risk that small groups could enact large appropriations at a low-attendance floor meeting. One member argued for moving the vote to the ballot to reduce the chance that a handful of in-person attendees could change the town’s top-line budget, while others lamented the civic loss of traditional town meeting debate. The motion carried on a voice vote; the board will include an informational meeting before the Australian-ballot vote.

The chair explained procedural steps needed for implementation and the likely timeline if voters approve the change. He also noted there is no statutory dollar limit on what may appear on the ballot; the board discussed how an Australian ballot would shift decision-making from the floor to the wider electorate. The board agreed to schedule the informational session and to include the article on the warning for voters to decide in 2025 for effect in 2026.