Falmouth water committee tables proposal to bar reading of written public comments

The Water Quality Management Committee on March 18 voted to table a proposal that would limit public comment to people attending meetings and exclude reading written correspondence aloud, instead placing submissions in the minutes.

The policy change was introduced by the chair as a way to align committee practice with recent Town Council guidance. Matt Hanley of Thomas Linus Road told the committee he was "very alarmed" by the proposal, saying it would exclude residents who cannot attend because of disability, weather or other barriers and could silence expert input submitted by mail or email.

"Public comment is very important," Hanley said. "If people want to make a statement and they can't come, are we going to ignore their statements?"

Hilda Menge of the Green Center asked how many letters the committee actually receives and recommended reading a small number aloud if the volume is low and offering a two‑minute non‑agenda comment period like the Select Board uses. The chair responded that Town Council raised the issue during open‑meeting training and advised the committee to include correspondence in the record but not read it aloud.

A committee member moved to table the proposed rule pending more information and a written opinion from Town Council; the motion carried. The committee did not adopt the new public‑comment rule at the meeting.

The committee said it will seek a written clarification from Town Council and consider bringing the issue back as a standalone agenda item in a future meeting.

Next steps: the item is tabled pending a written opinion from Town Council and further committee discussion.