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Commission outlines municipal-plan outreach; commissioners caution against conflating it with merger vote
Summary
The commission discussed public outreach methods for the Town Plan, recommended facilitated events rather than informal vision boards, and warned that Town Meeting activities should not bias the March 24 merger vote.
Chair Terry Carter reviewed the twelve elements required in the Town Plan and proposed a public-engagement approach that would include facilitated events, mailers and a story map. Staff member Erin Ladd recommended coordination with MARC for chapter drafting and timelines; commissioners and staff emphasized that outreach should be separate from the March 24 merger vote to avoid confusing voters.
Commissioner Noah Schmidt warned that an unstructured vision-board activity at Town Meeting would allow early respondents to skew input, and Penny Wu urged the commission to plan a dedicated, facilitated outreach event rather than using Town Meeting floor space. The commission asked staff to develop a timeline, seek a grant to fund MARC assistance and bring a public-engagement plan to the next meeting.
