Selectman’s Corner

by Matt Riiska

It has been a year since we started dealing with the effects of the Covid pandemic. Everything about our lives has been disrupted in many ways, including the process of governing and managing a town. We have come to grips with dealing with Zoom, Webex and Google Workspace meetings, with many people being more comfortable sitting in the comfort of their homes rather than attending live meetings. We have found that not having go out to a meeting is really not that bad, especially on a cold winter’s evening. With that said, we need to work on our procedures for announcing, conducting and documenting our meetings.

The rules for video meetings are no different from those for in-person meetings. Meeting agendas need to be posted one to seven days before the meeting, depending on the type of meeting, and they must include all information on how anyone can connect to the meeting. Although the meeting does not have to include a public comments time, the public still needs to be able to have access to all meetings. During the meeting, minutes need to be taken, which should be submitted to the town clerk’s office and posted at Town Hall and on the town website. Although the minutes do not need to include all the comments made by a board, commission or committee member, anything that is voted on needs to be documented, including motions, seconds and participants’ votes.

The areas that we need to work on are getting meeting minutes posted on the website and posting videos of the meetings. I will be working with the website committee, the webmaster, and the town clerk to establish a plan to make sure all information is documented and posted in a timely fashion.

To assist in making meetings more transparent, we will be conducting a seminar on Freedom of Information (FOI) and how to conduct a legal meeting. We have many new individuals who have stepped up to serve on one of our many boards, commissions and committees, and they need to know the guidelines and procedures that need to be followed. The FOI workshop will be held on Thursday, May 1, at 6 p.m. via Zoom. Go to norfolkct.org for details.

Speaking of meetings, last year the governor’s executive orders allowed the Board of Finance to establish the budget and mil rate without conducting the annual town meeting. This year we are planning to conduct our annual budget hearing and our annual town meeting in public in a safe manner. The tentative dates for these are Monday, April 26, for the budget hearing and Monday, May 10, for the annual town meeting. These dates could change, so check the town website for any updates.

We are almost there. Many have received or will be receiving their vaccines in the next few months. The weather is getting nicer, and we are all ready to break out and enjoy seeing friends again, but please be careful and adhere to the CDC guidelines. 

Take care & stay healthy.