[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",5970104,"mediaKeyId","5829770-eb3cf362ea5bb2e926f5f93de569ac12","parentId",5829770,"title","Taste of Hubbardston set for next Thursday; boards invited to recruit volunteers; town schedules employee headshots Oct. 2","audioSeconds",427,"startMs",1295000,"endMs",1722000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5829770-eb3cf362ea5bb2e926f5f93de569ac12&start=1295&end=1722","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5829770-eb3cf362ea5bb2e926f5f93de569ac12/thumbnail_1295000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5970104/Massachusetts/Taste-of-Hubbardston-set-for-next-Thursday-boards-invited-to-recruit-volunteers-town-schedules-employee-headshots-Oct-2","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5970104-f7aa514b89bd0dc63894e762f15ecc54/orig.mp4?Expires=1773658214&Signature=gE4gdPR6ookV09Mvjxqb4J3fq-nBxp5P4Ah5Mn-unJYRaCRReQ727r3lwOqYgdcUeMUhhkFwFoVEHBv8UwkoNASQRxu0LH66uTGhiFCGKKHPZCgu~tmgHdRMs1OhFFp2HK7UVoQJavJB0WgQMtdujdQk3zndjuNUocu~zMFeVi5L5vG4ZIU061KhApsbNJ7mjrU4SL8V4mTZfwHbgnzj9cXOJNJd97oNIFTkzV-qzgBo81g0ogH0uD55ThEIeo3XALVNH3NsiW34eVULVcyERT9B5joaW6tbK9sdrYba7iNyENfhzEn9lGKpf8rIJl0bzIyuIWKmCnMhC~1BRX1X7w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Hubbardston","date","2025-09-26T00:44:03.347Z","article","Town Clerk Mel Green asked boards and committees to participate in an upcoming \"Taste of Hubbardston\" event to recruit volunteers and engage residents. She said the event will run from 5 to 8 p.m. next Thursday at 48 Gardner Road and that setup begins at 4 p.m.

\"So it's from 5 to 8 on Thursday, next Thursday at 48 Gardner Road just to sit and meet, control, and answer questions and maybe throw up some interest,\" Green said. She invited committees to reserve a table or share space and offered to print fact sheets for boards that want them.

Green described planned features: food vendors, live music, children's crafts, a meet-and-greet area for boards to talk with residents about vacancies, and a public-safety building display upstairs where designers and committee members will show project plans. She suggested boards bring a clipboard or table and asked that groups email in advance to reserve space.

Green also announced a headshot session scheduled for Oct. 2 beginning at 4 p.m. at 48 Gardner Road to produce ID badges for town employees and certain emergency personnel. She said first responders will be prioritized if they attend during the session. Clerks were told that the town photographer will be ready at 4 p.m. and that employee badges are being created.

The clerk encouraged clerks to use the event to drum up volunteer interest and said the town will send a follow-up email with details before the event.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Clerk's Meeting 9.25.25","oneSentenceSummary","Town Clerk Mel Green invited boards to staff tables at a \"Taste of Hubbardston\" event next Thursday (5–8 p.m. at 48 Gardner Road) to recruit volunteers, and announced an Oct. 2 headshot session starting at 4 p.m. for employees and first responders.","taxTitle","Town of Hubbardston, Worcester County, Massachusetts","taxId",61645,"location","Massachusetts","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},5970105,"Clerk offers Otter.ai transcription access to help produce meeting minutes",138,178000,316000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5829770-eb3cf362ea5bb2e926f5f93de569ac12&start=178&end=316","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5829770-eb3cf362ea5bb2e926f5f93de569ac12/thumbnail_178000.jpg","/articles/5970105/Massachusetts/Clerk-offers-Otterai-transcription-access-to-help-produce-meeting-minutes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5970105-c47cafb6c326258fe2329868edee3a63/orig.mp4?Expires=1773658214&Signature=bR8HirKoRk7YXgatZKtZDJTD9UWt0a~IM3VOjGYtjC0qEKxO4dDJVRf2~dqLqpQBdlgGS9HVmhirB92PZnNMHYQKhHep5dEBvESIr90y8zt-n5fgmV3MHfVLkN~kAUB1~sxhdCzp1H~0QbqMUOeKqUwnPNc2IxmKLRE7nSQlT8sNyVPbPwSaFRC7sSKzyO47X~4xbUEHZQ6PWTFyVFQt9kWPsAgrwh3LECfkvzXZuFks9pbSoFwWp-H~gu65dAQZTl5opRulCYrNxACy5cXodVsf0fZSVWJcpGNKx-S4jjQ4cBUU1AMf~FKD9MpPe3WthUqFC~ue3ev4ShJfNXPNWA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mel Green, the town clerk, described Otter.ai as a tool the town can make available to clerks and committees to capture meeting audio and produce transcripts for minute-taking.

\"It's like an AI that can do note taking for you, and it will take a transcript of your meeting,\" Green said. She cautioned that Otter.ai identifies speakers reliably only when participants join a virtual meeting individually; if everyone is in the same physical room the service may not distinguish who is speaking.

Green offered to create accounts and said she has a sign-up sheet to collect email addresses from any clerk who wants access. She said she currently uses a colleague's account and would investigate how multiple accounts would be managed. Clerks who use Otter.ai were reminded that the transcript is a starting point and will typically need human editing for accuracy and speaker labeling.

Town staff noted that transcripts can be useful for public hearings or meetings with many speakers, and that clerks often copy portions of the transcript into draft minutes. Green asked interested clerks to provide an email address for setup and offered to follow up with instructions.","Town Clerk Mel Green described Otter.ai as an AI-based transcription tool the town can make available to boards and committees to generate meeting transcripts and aid minute-taking, with limits on speaker identification in in-person meetings.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},5970111,"Hubbardston rolls out unified website calendar and standard agenda/minutes templates",303,334000,637000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5829770-eb3cf362ea5bb2e926f5f93de569ac12&start=334&end=637","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5829770-eb3cf362ea5bb2e926f5f93de569ac12/thumbnail_334000.jpg","/articles/5970111/Massachusetts/Hubbardston-rolls-out-unified-website-calendar-and-standard-agendaminutes-templates","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5970111-6dd37365b3a1de51ff944eda2cb2ae6f/orig.mp4?Expires=1773658214&Signature=OgNlY6CpCAlALfprjbhSN0p65M3CYRMI3paOLsaHdsKGTA7IgUpCbzcsyoVXc2xz32ZiyI9FR-86nnifFInTueqHkog63U~-yyeOqS3v6j7PdicBQgaWuDXHNbw6cL~gzQrnM0xBGVjT1QpAAZUnN7qMqLKRr5m172-Jz6yx1v94BcTTS7xBfgWwNf9ULSpAFZdKgEe8K4vMfVKYpFxv8VZZsvGADdEEZTZhFdVYz80AN6VmqloX5EYeYWzrW35IYZCQbe~xvVxYqjhuo~StgZFv910ZkMUfRbkad7cedFtGP2R0DimIxv0GbxhYlurqtFDSEulx0G90A5ivbv7-jw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Town staff demonstrated the Town of Hubbardston’s updated website and explained how clerks and committee secretaries can use a shared calendar, event pages and standard templates for agendas and minutes.

\"If you scroll all the way down to the bottom, upcoming events, we have all of town events that people send us to be posted as well as all board committee meetings posted on this,\" Mel Green, town clerk and clerk for the board of registrars, said while showing the new site. She said boards can request editing access so they can manage their own pages and that the town can set recurring events for regular meetings.

Green said the town has prepared standardized templates — for agenda formatting, minutes, and a sign-in sheet — to help ensure each board posts consistent, legally compliant agendas and minutes. She said the templates include the common elements required by the open-meeting law and that she will email the templates to clerks and committees.

Clerks discussed practical uses: placing the town seal on letterhead, copying the agenda into the minutes template as a starting point, including a \"matters not reasonably anticipated by the chair\" slot for urgent items, and using the sign-in sheet to record attendees and contact details. Green said the templates and the calendar make it easier to check for scheduling conflicts and to post agendas and supplementary documents used in hearings or other public business.

Staff offered to give site-editing access and asked clerks to provide email addresses if they want accounts on the site. The town will follow up by email with templates and instructions for using the calendar and recurring-event settings.","Clerks were shown the town's updated website calendar, given the option to receive editing access, and offered standardized templates for agendas, minutes and sign-in sheets to promote consistency and public transparency.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},5970116,"Hubbardston clerks review open-meeting law requirements, minute-taking deadlines",311,561000,872000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5829770-eb3cf362ea5bb2e926f5f93de569ac12&start=561&end=872","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5829770-eb3cf362ea5bb2e926f5f93de569ac12/thumbnail_561000.jpg","/articles/5970116/Massachusetts/Hubbardston-clerks-review-open-meeting-law-requirements-minute-taking-deadlines","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5970116-27c5922a12746224e57af05cc294c801/orig.mp4?Expires=1773658214&Signature=Lyxl47FFPbfC0VLEuA1IB6Pw2U1RDCwRbpAidtmPOmM5WM518-VKooygP3e3sHOovyLX7RYtOakdU5Mie6hSe53PNGC2~DaEAFWowWM9ySM-s-I4bf3GIOS8sS~Mz849KBeCG3q27sGjBvd2o38QAClAhj5F~YnnQBpJnH1KIRW-i8c5nQ2~XAPX9cbORuWsHy9dTl0M420o~2vEUA9YdpoZO6lfG26ee45uYrjM1f-saqbRrby23kVdMNBgqWJDXjtXtUvgoyLXwbeXthKlON04Hleld-ZFDDGnDBHspZZ1XgIWqKVI1o70blqD9PrHrStxlp1wnszbvz5Pvz1sEw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Town Clerk Mel Green told a meeting of town clerks and committee secretaries that minutes must record basic meeting facts and a concise summary of each topic discussed, and that draft minutes must be producible on request.

\"It has to include the date, time, the place the meeting has taken place, and then each item that you're gonna be talking about with as much detail as possible without, like, rambling on and on,\" Mel Green, town clerk and clerk for the board of registrars, said. \"You're supposed to list all the documents and exhibits that were used.\"

The guidance matters because, Green said, minutes are the official long-term record of municipal business. She told attendees that a draft of minutes must be available within 10 days if someone requests them, and that the town keeps minutes permanently while agendas have a shorter retention cycle. Green also summarized a state-level change to meeting rules: an updated open-meeting law released in June 2025 and an extension that allows virtual attendance through June 2027; when a member participates remotely, votes should be taken by roll call.

Green and other clerks discussed practical steps for complying with the law: include date, time and place; list members present and absent; identify remote participants; summarize discussion on each agenda item; note motions and votes; and attach or list exhibits and staff memos. She said the town clerk’s office expects boards to deliver draft minutes within a reasonable time, typically within one meeting cycle for bodies that meet regularly.

Clerks asked procedural questions about timelines and approvals. Green clarified that the 10-day rule applies to producing a draft on request — not to final approval — and that boards that meet infrequently should act within a \"reasonable\" timeframe appropriate to their schedule. The transcript also records town guidance that video recordings are not required to be kept indefinitely; Green said the town typically retains meeting video for about six months under the state retention schedule but keeps minutes as the permanent record.

Participants were advised to retain copies of heavy-use materials (plans, memos, staff reports) and submit approved minutes to the town clerk’s office for filing.

Looking ahead, clerks were told to monitor the June 2025 open-meeting law revision for operational changes and to follow roll-call procedures for remote votes until the state extension expires or is changed.","Town Clerk Mel Green walked volunteer clerks through open-meeting law requirements, minute-taking standards and record-retention rules, including a June 2025 law update and guidance on virtual attendance and roll-call votes.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Taste of Hubbardston set for next Thursday; boards invited to recruit volunteers; town schedules employee headshots Oct. 2

Clerk offers Otter.ai transcription access to help produce meeting minutes

Hubbardston rolls out unified website calendar and standard agenda/minutes templates

Hubbardston clerks review open-meeting law requirements, minute-taking deadlines