Council sends standing rules rewrite back to Policies & Procedures Committee after lengthy public debate

The council considered a substantial draft rewrite of its standing rules developed over more than a year by the Policies & Procedures Committee. The proposed changes address meeting start times, electronic participation rules, public notice standards, agenda deadlines, committee composition, committee assignments and training for council members.

Key proposed changes include: moving regular meetings from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m.; removing the three‑hour automatic extension rule (allowing meetings to continue without a formal extension motion); expanding options for public presentations and electronic participation; and redesigning standing committees so they are populated primarily by citizen members (with council liaisons rather than council voting members on committees). The draft also adds requirements for staff review of agenda items (town manager, finance director and town attorney sign‑offs) and sets delivery timelines for meeting materials (seven business days for regular meetings).

Public commenters and several council members raised concerns about removing council members from committee membership, the appropriateness of citizen committee composition for budget and finance topics, the convenience of meeting times for residents and the absence of a bonding/oversight question for procurement. Several members asked that the proposed rules be reviewed again with more public notice and opportunities for input.

Outcome: after discussion the council voted to refer the draft back to the Policies & Procedures Committee for revisions and additional public outreach. The committee will reconvene and return the revised draft to the council for consideration.