Committee considers tighter rules for public comment and conduct during budget review

Members debated whether public comment should be front‑loaded at the start of meetings, allowed per each budget section, or held at the end of the session. One member argued that allowing comment only at the front can make it difficult for residents to address specific budgets discussed later.

"If you want public engagement...it's very hard for somebody sitting in the public to say, 'oh, I want to talk about the 3rd one,' but nobody at the front knows that they want to speak about the 3rd budget," a committee member said, arguing for more concrete rules to give residents predictable opportunities to speak.

Larry Gladhill noted the committee's draft language gives the chair discretion to provide opportunities for public comment during designated periods, which he said holds the chair and board accountable. Other members favored clearer wording to ensure consistency from year to year and recommended specifying timing (for example, per budget section) or reserving a fixed public comment period with the option to extend time when warranted.

The committee also discussed including a code of conduct or decorum section to manage heated meetings. Members broadly agreed respectful participation should be required, but some were reluctant to include language that could be read as suppressing elected officials' speech. The group agreed to refine the language and consider referencing existing Selectmen code(s) to maintain townwide consistency.