Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Governance Advocacy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Select Board tells Lyme committee to avoid official advocacy; asks for review of written testimony
Summary
The Select Board told the Lyme Energy Committee that town committees should not officially advocate on state legislation without explicit town authorization; it asked that committee testimony be submitted to the Select Board for review and noted members may act individually in their personal capacities.
Jim reported to the Lyme Energy Committee on May 11 that he attended the Select Board meeting on April 14 and discussed the committee’s ability to 'lobby' on pending New Hampshire legislation. The Select Board’s position, as relayed by Jim, is that an official Town committee should not advocate for policy on matters where a significant portion of the Town might disagree unless the Town has explicitly authorized such advocacy.
According to Jim’s report, the Select Board prefers that committee testimony be submitted in writing to the Select Board for review before it is submitted to the State. The Select Board indicated it has no objection to committee members individually or jointly taking positions and submitting testimony in their personal capacities.
Jim also said he is trying to obtain the Select Board’s list of upcoming and needed capital purchases from Dina so the committee can identify items where it may want to weigh in on efficiency or sustainability choices. Michael Hinsley raised separate concerns about whether Lyme is contributing adequately to certain Capital Reserve Funds given upcoming needs. No formal policy changes or votes by the Select Board were recorded during the Energy Committee meeting; the report was informational and the committee did not take an advocacy action at this meeting.
