Above: Next week, two members of the Select Board will welcome the public to talk to them or ask them questions during a hybrid “Office Hour”. (photos L-R cropped from past Office Hour flyer and contributed)
A week from tonight, the Select Board is holding its next monthly “Office Hours” session. (Really, an hour.)
The sessions are scheduled for 6:00 – 7:00 pm on the second Tuesday evening of each month (except November)1. During the session, community members can drop in to chat with two members of the board.
The August 12th session will be hosted by Select Board members Al Hamilton and Tim Fling.
The chats take place at the Town House Hearing Room at 17 Common Street. However, the board has added a “hybrid” zoom option. (Details haven’t been posted. (Look for a link on the Town’s website on the date.)
In past promotions, the board has pitched the hours as a way to to speak to members in an informal setting. The office hours aren’t a public meeting (so they won’t be recorded or have minutes). But members often briefly recap community concerns/questions raised during office hours as part of their “Members Updates” in subsequent board meetings.
The Office Hours discussions may take place in front of other members of the public waiting for their turn to participate. If you have a more sensitive topic to broach for which you would prefer greater privacy, you can always contact members individually to ask to talk. (Click here for the page that links to the list of members of boards & committees with their email addresses. But also be aware that the emails are subject to public records requests.)
Conversely, if you’d prefer to make a “public comment” at a future meeting, the next opportunity appears to be scheduled for Tuesday, August 19th. (Stay tuned for the time and agenda.) But, unless the topic is on the agenda, there is no back and forth allowed with Select Board members when you take that route.
You can also mark your calendar for future dates, posted to the board’s website here.
