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PROS board weighs bylaws updates and clarifies liaison, agenda and communication roles
Summary
Members reviewed proposed bylaw edits, discussed the scope of the staff liaison role and agreed to improve between-meeting communication and workload distribution; town code allows advisory boards to adopt bylaws without trustee action.
On June 11 the PROS advisory board reviewed proposed updates to its bylaws and discussed clarifying roles, expectations for between‑meeting work, and how agendas should be prepared and shared.
The discussion matters because clearer bylaws and defined staff/board responsibilities would change how the advisory board operates, what items can be adopted within the board and how the group coordinates with trustees and town staff.
Board members said they wanted a marked-up, final draft of the proposed bylaw language to review before adopting changes at a future meeting. Staff agreed to highlight all proposed edits and circulate a redlined version so members could read and comment in advance; the presenter said adoption could occur at the July or August meeting depending on timing and workloads.
Members asked for clarity on the staff liaison role. Staff explained that the liaison compiles information, drafts agenda items and provides technical updates from the town; that said the liaison also expects the board to take ownership of tasks and perform work between meetings. The board discussed whether agenda preparation should be a collaborative Google Drive process (staff confirmed it is) and agreed members can suggest agenda items in the shared document.
The group also raised Sunshine Law and communication concerns. Staff stated the town attorney’s guidance that the advisory board is not subject to the state Sunshine Law for public bodies in the same way as elected boards, and that reply‑all group email exchanges are not inherently prohibited for the advisory board; members nonetheless agreed to avoid overuse of reply‑all and to be careful not to conduct deliberations outside public meetings. The board agreed to improve response rates to email requests and encouraged short one‑on‑one check-ins with staff between meetings to keep projects moving.
Board members suggested changing meeting format seasonally: reserve more substantive administrative work for the winter and schedule park site visits or public-facing work during summer months. Staff said they will research the procedural rules for formally holding a portion of a meeting at an off‑site park and indicated that if a site visit is posted in the meeting packet and public notice is given, they could pursue it.
No formal bylaws adoption or binding vote occurred at the June 11 meeting; the board directed staff to produce a redline for review and to circulate it in advance of the next meeting.
