Mendon's Town Meeting is the foundation of our local government, and remains the purest form of direct democracy and fiscal responsibility.

Mendon has an "open" Town Meeting form of government in which each resident has the right to be heard in a respectful and civil fashion and each registered voter has the right to have their vote count. An "open" Town Meeting government is the best insurer of liberty by giving the primary power to the citizens.

While the elected officials and appointed department heads supervise the day-to-day running of the town and schools, their authority extends only to managing employees and administering the expenditures that have already been voted by Town Meeting.

Town Meeting is the official convening of a legally constituted legislative body with power to make laws, levy taxes, and authorize expenditures.

During a typical Town Meeting, voters approve the town’s annual and supplemental budgets for schools and general government, vote on additional capital expenditures for equipment or buildings, authorize changes to Zoning, or other Town by-laws, approve compensation for employees and elected officials, acquire roads or parcels of land, and more.

Most of the money the town spends is generated from the local property tax (Some comes from state aid or special funds.). Each spending decision made by Town Meeting has a direct effect on each voter’s tax bill and on the quality of service the town provides for schools, highways, police and fire protection, conservation, recreation, library, etc.