Minutes and Agendas Policy
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
POLICY ON PUBLICATION OF
MINUTES AND AGENDAS FOR
TOWN BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
In order to insure that all town residents have timely access to the official actions of all town boards and commissions, the Board of Selectmen has adopted the following policy on the posting and publication of all meeting agendas and the minutes of the official meetings of the various town boards and commissions appointed by the Board of Selectmen.
- The Agenda of any scheduled meeting of any town board or commission shall be posted in accordance with the provisions of the Open Meeting Law no later than 48 hours prior to the time of the scheduled meeting. For the purposes of this section, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays are excluded from the 48 hour minimum notice period.
- In addition to the traditional posting at the Town Clerk’s office, the agenda shall also be simultaneously published on the Town’s website with clear directions being available on the website to access these documents. (It is understood that it may take some time to fully implement this requirement given the current limitations of our website.)
- The minutes of any official meeting of any town board or commission shall be approved by said body as soon as may be practicable but in no event later than the next regularly scheduled meeting of said board or commission at which a quorum is present.
- The approved minutes of all boards and commissions shall be filed in the office of said board or commission or the Town Clerk’s office within 10 days of the approval of said minutes. Minutes of Town Meetings shall be posted within 48 hrs. of the close of Town Meeting.
- In addition to the traditional filing of minutes in the office of said board or commission or the Town Clerk’s office, the minutes shall also be simultaneously published on the Town’s website with clear directions being available on the website to access these documents. (It is understood that it may take some time to fully implement this requirement given the current limitations of our website.)
It is understood that extenuating circumstances such as multiple meetings during the same week, the absence of the usual minute taker from a particular meeting, or an extraordinarily long and complicated meeting may affect the ability of a board or commission to strictly comply with the provisions of this policy. In these cases the minutes of these sessions shall be completed as soon as may be possible but in no event later than 60 days from the close of the meeting.
While these policies only apply to boards and commissions whose members are appointed by the Board of Selectmen, it is our hope that all other elected boards and commissions will adopt similar policies governing their activities.