In its best year between 2014 and 2023, the Barrington Financial Town Meeting drew 5 percent of the registered voters. Five percent.

Low participation at the annual FTM is one of the reasons Barrington officials will take a closer look at the town’s budget approval process. At its meeting in late July, the Barrington Town Council charged the newly-formed Charter Review Commission with evaluating the financial town meeting format — they are expected to include their findings in a final report to the Council.

Members of the Town Council spoke briefly on the subject during the July meeting, and Barrington Town Manager Phil Hervey compiled a lot of information to assist the Commission in its work. 

Included in Hervey’s report is a list of the towns that still use a financial town meeting to set their budgets.

Only 12 communities in Rhode Island still use an FTM. A chart included in the Council’s packet showed 13 towns but Hervey said Smithfield moved away from the FTM format recently. Assistant Town Solicitor Amy Goins said Smithfield now has a budget and financial review board that assists its Town Council, which has final approval powers. 

Of the towns that still use an FTM, the largest in population is West Warwick with 30,823 residents, while the smallest is New Shoreham (Block Island) with 1,007 full-time residents. Barrington is the third-largest town in population to use an FTM, with 17,201 residents. 

Hervey also provided a list of the last 10 financial town meetings in Barrington and how many voters each one drew. In 2019, more than 700 people attended the FTM at the high school, which is about 5 percent of the registered voters in town. On the other end of the spectrum was 2016, when just 104 people, or .7 percent of the registered voters, turned out for the meeting. (At least 100 people must attend the meeting to achieve a quorum.)

Hervey also provided a list of what type of formats other towns use to approve their budgets. Some, such as Bristol, Burrillville and Coventry, task the Council members to set the budget each year. Others, including Glocester and Hopkinton, have residents vote on a budget referendum. A dozen towns, including North Kingstown and Warren, hold public meetings to discuss the budgets and then allow the Council to vote it through. 

Barrington Town Council President Carl Kustell introduced the FTM topic for discussion during the July 24 meeting and later made a motion to charge the Charter Review Commission with the task of researching alternatives to the FTM. Councilor Rob Humm seconded the motion, which passed by a 5-0 vote.