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How to run public hearings, handle letters and manage meeting records, per NHMA guidance
Summary
The training covered best practices for public hearings: encouraging concise comments, allowing written statements to be filed and kept in the project file, and the distinction between conceptual comments and materials that must be considered with a formal application.
Board members asked practical questions about public‑hearing management and record‑keeping. Johnston recommended allowing commenters to indicate agreement with an earlier speaker ("I agree with that person") to avoid repetitive testimony, and he said boards may set reasonable time limits while being mindful of fairness to the applicant.
On written submissions, Johnston advised keeping letters and emails as part of the public record in the application file and making them available to board members and members of the public, but said that boards are not required to read every letter aloud during the hearing. He also clarified that letters submitted during pre‑application conceptual reviews are not automatically part of the formal application record unless submitted at the time of the application.
