Town trustees remove open "welcome guest" public comment from regular agenda

Trustees voted to remove the standing "welcome guest" public comment section from the town's regular board meeting agendas following consideration of a legal opinion. The motion passed on a voice vote. Board members said the change follows a legal review and is intended to reduce the risk of heated exchanges during meetings while preserving other ways for residents to communicate with trustees. One trustee read a passage from the attorney's opinion that described meetings as occasions where elected officials make decisions and urged constituents to provide feedback to trustees before meetings. Trustees debated alternatives. Several said they remain available to constituents by phone or to meet during business hours, and suggested using scheduled agenda items for topics that require full board discussion. Others noted that in the past open public-comment formats led to lengthy and disorderly hearings and that limiting public comment was intended to protect the board from personal attacks and to maintain orderly meetings. The motion as framed directed staff to eliminate the "welcome guest / public comment" line from the general-meeting agenda; trustees noted the removal may need to be reflected separately on subsidiary agendas (for example, on CPA/CCA agendas) and said they would place any contested items on a future agenda if a resident asked for formal consideration. Trustees framed the vote as an internal meeting-procedure change rather than a ban on resident contact. Several trustees said residents can still request agenda placement or contact trustees individually to arrange meetings in the office. The board did not adopt any new ordinance language at the meeting; members said they would follow up with the attorney and return draft language for incorporation into the town's governing documents if needed. The board approved the motion by voice vote; there was no roll-call tally recorded in the meeting minutes. Trustees asked the clerk to document the legal opinion in meeting records and to circulate guidance about how residents can request agenda items or ask for meetings with trustees.