To get information from the server you need to use a Meteor method.
To read local file you need to use assets.
For example, assuming your file is /private/options.json
:
server side
Meteor.methods({
getOptions: function() {
return Assets.getText('options.json');
},
});
client side
var loadOptions = function() {
Meteor.call('getOptions', function(error, result){
fillOptions(JSON.parse(result));
});
};