Moderator urges lasting procedural changes after contested Special Town Meeting

Town Moderator Mark Kaplan offered a structured debrief on procedures used at the May 11 Special Town Meeting and the 2026 Annual Town Meeting, and recommended several practices be continued for future meetings to improve audibility, fairness and efficiency.

Kaplan reported that speaker podiums and a visible countdown clock improved presentation audibility and timekeeping, and that designated pro/con podiums helped manage a contested article. He suggested exploring a rule to stop the clock during a presenter's answer so respondents do not consume a questioner's allotted time, and recommended seating Town Meeting Members centrally for better Moderator access and visibility.

On meeting structure, Kaplan strongly supported continuing the separation of municipal and school budgets, saying the split allowed each budget to 'stand on its own' and receive appropriate scrutiny. He also supported continuing the revised night-by-night meeting structure used at ATM that grouped the TWFP, consent agenda and certain supplementals on the first night and reserved full budget discussion for the second night.

"Speaker podiums were well received," Kaplan said, and he suggested selectively using designated pro/con podiums for controversial articles identified in advance. He also proposed adding an MLP enterprise-fund presentation to ATM 2027 to address public interest in the Municipal Light Plant's finances.