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Select Board receives OML response and agrees to request legal review of updated code-of-conduct template
Summary
The board reviewed a follow-up response from the state Division of Open Government on an Open Meeting Law (OML) complaint and agreed to ask town counsel to evaluate a newly published code-of-conduct template from MIIA to determine whether select-board wording should change.
The Select Board reviewed a response from the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney Generals Division of Open Government relating to an earlier OML complaint. A board member had requested clarification; the town reported the office updated its letter to reflect corrected facts after inquiry.
Separately, the board discussed two versions of a municipal code-of-conduct template that had been circulated. The newer template (circulated by MIIA in a recent webinar) contains differences from the version the board adopted in December. One notable difference is that the newer template is worded primarily for appointed officials and softens absolute prohibitions against criticizing staff.
Board members asked the town manager to refer the two templates to town counsel for legal advice and to return the results to the board. Members said they wanted counsels view on applicability (whether and how the template may apply to elected officials versus appointed ones) and on any language that could raise First Amendment or enforcement issues.
