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Residents say last-minute continuances limit public notice; commission says applicants may continue in person
Summary
At the Sept. 4 Nantucket Conservation Commission meeting, a resident complained that several agenda items were continued with little public notice; staff said applicants may continue at the meeting and there is no statutory limit on continuances.
At the Sept. 4 meeting of the Nantucket Conservation Commission, resident Robert Frame questioned why a lane of agenda items had been continued without advance public notice, saying he had checked the commission website and found no update before arriving. "I checked it yesterday, and there wasn't any continuance. So how when did you find out there was a continuance?" Frame asked. The commission chair and staff replied they learned of some continuances roughly an hour before the meeting and reminded the public that applicants may request continuances in person and are not required to provide advance notice.
The exchange drew attention to the commission's process. Will (Natural Resources Department staff) told Frame that if an item is on the agenda it is appropriate to wait until the continued meeting or to submit written testimony and that "there's no limit" set by statute on how many times an item may be continued. Chair Seth Engelborg opened the meeting and confirmed continuances on multiple items, including several continued to September 18 and October 2.
The matter mattered to attendees because continuances affect when the public may comment: Frame had asked whether he should wait until the continued date or speak at the current meeting. Commission staff reiterated that public comment for a continued item should be made at the date to which it is continued or via written testimony.
No formal policy change was proposed or adopted at the meeting; commissioners discussed the practical impact and urged applicants to provide earlier notice when possible to help public access. The commission and staff said they would continue following the existing procedure in which applicants may continue items at the meeting and that the commission lacks a statutory cap on repeat continuances.
