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Selectboard debates rules of procedure, chair control of agendas and public participation limits
Summary
Board members proposed edits to Putney's Rules of Procedure, including removing a Town Meeting reference, clarifying that the chair should control agendas rather than the clerk, and adding firm time limits and removal authority for public participation.
The Putney Selectboard discussed revisions to its Rules of Procedure on Nov. 12, focusing on who should control agendas and how to manage public participation. Peg Alden asked that a reference to Town Meeting be removed and requested clearer language that the chair, not the clerk, controls agendas. "I think it's really helpful to have guidelines on public participation that keep the board meeting from becoming unruly," Alden said.
Aileen Tulloch argued that the clerk should not be in charge of agendas and that the chair should hold that authority; Fletcher Proctor agreed the chair should be responsible. Board members also raised the need for firm public-comment time frames and the ability to remove disruptive individuals from the meeting room. Fletcher Proctor asked board members to send suggested edits to the board for further review; the item will be revisited at a future meeting.
