Committee to resubmit last year’s remote‑participation warrant language as state bill draws attention

The Town Meeting Study Committee reported Jan. 13 that it will ask the Select Board to forward warrant language for a home‑rule petition that mirrors the citizen petition the committee supported last year to allow hybrid town meeting participation.

Committee members said the text has been vetted by multiple towns and reviewed by local stakeholders and has been submitted to the town council for review ahead of the Select Board meeting on Jan. 27. "The language that we're proposing for this coming year is consistent with the the citizen petition from last year," Eric Moore said.

The committee also discussed a pending state bill, H.4771, that would address hybrid public meetings. "There's a bill, house 4 7 71, which is a sort of a broad bill around, basically for all public meetings in the state, being hybrid," Moore said, and members noted that overlap could affect a local home‑rule petition.

A committee member who reviewed the bill said the state definition of "meeting" likely excludes town meeting: "In that bill, the word meeting is defined ... that meeting excludes town meeting ... so that bill wouldn't be regulating town meeting," Sandra said. The committee did not reach a definitive conclusion on whether H.4771 will supersede a local petition; members said they expect the town council review and the Select Board discussion to clarify the legal path.

Committee members referenced examples from other municipalities. The proposed warrant language was described as similar to language used in Wayland and Lexington and has been circulated to the moderator and other stakeholders for review.

Ending: The committee directed staff to monitor H.4771 and town council feedback and to present the vetted warrant language to the Select Board on Jan. 27.