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Select Board to send counsel-drafted response after Open Meeting Law complaint
Summary
Following a complaint alleging the board failed to announce recording and omitted appointment names from an agenda, Sheffield’s Select Board voted to send a town-counsel–drafted response to the Massachusetts Attorney General and schedule an open-meetings refresher for all boards and commissions.
The Sheffield Select Board reviewed an Open Meeting Law complaint filed by Alabama resident Patrick Higgins concerning the board’s July 21 meeting, including that the board did not announce recording and did not list appointment names on the agenda. The chair said town counsel prepared a response and the board moved to send that response to the Massachusetts Attorney General.
The chair told the board the town will "always make sure that we include names on the appointment" lists going forward and that counsel will provide an open-meetings refresher course for all boards and commissions, likely in September. A board member moved to send the council-drafted response to the attorney general; the motion was seconded and approved by the board.
Why it matters: Open Meeting Law compliance is a statutory obligation for municipal boards in Massachusetts. The board’s response and the planned refresher aim to document corrective action and reduce the risk of future complaints.
The transcript does not record a detailed roll-call tally for the motion; the board expressed assent and the response will be filed with the Attorney General’s office by town staff.
