Councilor proposes onboarding and engagement sessions for town boards and committees

Councilor (unnamed in transcript) proposed an engagement program intended to better support the town’s boards, committees and commissions, including an onboarding component for new appointees and a workshop to develop guiding principles and strategic plans.

The proposal, discussed at length Oct. 6, would invite chairs and two to three representatives from each board and committee to a session after November reappointments—initially suggested for Dec. 10. The session would include high-level background on town projects and goals, reminders on open meetings and records law, and structured time to draft guiding principles and a strategic plan that committees could pursue over the following quarter.

Council members suggested focusing the mandatory portion on newly appointed members (an onboarding session) and using a separate engagement workshop for chairs and active volunteers. Several councilors recommended inviting state presenters (attorney general’s office for Open Meetings Act and the ethics commission for code-of-conduct training) either through a joint staff presentation or by extending a staff training session to volunteers.

The council agreed the proposal merits further refinement; the sponsor said she will return with a more developed plan and timeline, including a short “cliff-notes” overview for each board’s purpose to help new members prepare. The proposal also envisions a cadence for boards to report progress to the council beginning in March.