Motion: to establish an ad hoc committee of Representative Town Meeting for the purpose of bringing forth a proposal for the establishment of a “futures commission.” The ad hoc committee shall create a statement of goals for the Commission consistent with this resolution and shall propose bylaws in furtherance of its purpose. The committee shall report back to Representative Town meeting with it recommendations at Town Meeting 2015. Members shall apply to and be appointed by the Town Moderator.
The goal of the ultimate “futures commission” would be to study the major issues, past, present and future, and recommend a blueprint for moving Brattleboro towards becoming a sustainable community. Reports and recommendations would focus on achieving economic and environmental stability while maintaining equitable human rights and the best possible standard of living for all residents.
The commission might study town history, economics, local education, town government, food, energy, housing, community culture, external impacts etc. That is, any issue or problem that effects us now or appears necessary to confront in the future.
It would draw upon every resource it can. It would involve and engage persons, groups and organizations that could be of assistance.
A formal proposal for this endeavor will be developed by the ad hoc committee. This proposal should create the precise “charge” of the commission as well as parameters, guidelines, budgets, time lines, reporting procedures and all else that would provide clear purpose and structure.
The ad hoc committee should complete its work for presentation and approval at the next RTM in March of 2015.
It should be noted that a “futures commission” was recommended in the 2014 Finance Committee Report:
“Given the enormity of today’s problems of scarce resources, high population, high standards of living and environmental issues the complexity of decision-making is well beyond the level ever imagined. Brattleboro needs more than a Finance Committee at this time. It needs some sort of Futures Commission that can fearlessly examine all aspects of our community and culture, including our political system, to determine a more realistic and cohesive picture of where we stand as well as a much harder look at our future…”
Much the same initiative is now underway in other places. The following is an excerpt from an article on similar work being done in Chesterfield, Virginia, (http://www.chesterfield.gov/cotf/) a county of 318,000. Their website boasts that they are one of only 25 counties in the US with AAA bond ratings from all three major rating institutions.
The charter committee strongly believed that more effective long-term planning in all areas of government is vital to maintain the quality of life. For this reason, the Charter created this important new committee to act as a “think-tank’ and conscience for the Board. The intent was to raise long-term questions far beyond just land-use planning. Often these questions are lost in the day-to-day problem solving of local government. The Committee on the Future is expected to provide focused studies on any number of issues.
As authorized in the charter (§7.5), “the committee shall prepare reports and make recommendations concerning changes in governmental structure, revisions to fiscal and land use planning, and any other matters concerning approaches to meeting the governmental needs of the people of Chesterfield in the future.” The purpose of the committee, as stated in its bylaws is: “to forecast comprehensive, long-range conditions in the county; to make recommendations for resolution of issues in the long range; to provide information designed to guide elected officials toward a realistic long-range plan for Chesterfield County in the 21st century; and to expand thinking beyond present-day limitations, presenting a view not necessarily bound by what will be, but embracing what can be.”
To accomplish these things, the committee researches issues and prepares reports. The Committee selects topics that will likely impact the county’s quality of life twenty, thirty or more years ahead. There is citizen representation and citizen input throughout the report process. Past reports have focused on human services and development issues.
Spoon Agave
June 2, 2014
information
Vote to pass motion was over a hundred for and one against.
Now the committee needs people who can set up the charge and structure of the commission. Everything is completely open at this point.
To join the committee contact Town Moderator Lawrin Crispe at crispe@sover.net
Would you like to hear our specials?
In the caldron of pure speculation about the future, anything could be possible. Considering the statement…”Everything is completely open at this point”, it’s hard not to feel the pendulum’s full swing from utopia to dystopia.
Will the town, and the town sanctioned ad hoc committee to set up a future future’s commission, have the nerve to look in the darkest places and also at those flares where the light may blind? What level of scenario will be deemed explorable? Would the possible fall of the cities and ruin of capitalism be one of the fronts. Or if jobs are seen as THE engine of sustainability, will this committee take the lead in bringing AI, cloning, nano-tech, cyborg development to Brattleboro…even as dilemmas of conscience are unsettled in society at large?
There is certainly rich food for thought here. How bold will the fare be, especially as the advising group will cook in the official kitchen of town?
When is the future? (I may have a conflict)
When is the future? Next year? 10 years? 50 years? 100 years?
People have a hard time paying attention to things that take place over long periods of time. Modern society rewards short-term, quarter-by-quarter results.
(We made a ten year plan for iBrattleboro when we started – to become as well known and influential as a newspaper and to build up a big audience. People we told looked at us like we came from another planet.)
The Chesterfield Co info is interesting in that they started long ago and have produced a steady stream of reports since about 1990 or so. Their list of reports is very similar, I’m sure, to what we’d do. They looked at the future, the economy and jobs, at education, neighborhood preservation, an aging population, and so on. (We might save time by taking their reports and replacing Chesterfield with Brattleboro…(just kidding)). They seem to do one report every few years.
BDDC tried looking into the future a few years ago with Brattleboro 2020. The big problem that still remains is a lack of local data on the issues people are concerned about. There is national data, and some state data, but it really falls apart locally. One of the 2020 ideas was to put a changing sign somewhere obvious in town, showing clear indications of our health, wealth, and happiness. Getting that data was prohibitive.
To spinoza’s points, the future can seem both bright and/or dark to smart people. There could be a national minimum salary to take care of basic needs, we could go off the grid, get rid of pollution, find peace and happiness, take only what we need, and leave a better place for those who come after us. Or, we could continue to be governed by corporate overlords, paralyzed by an inability to do anything or get traction, deal with environmental disasters in increasing numbers, and watch society crumble as class wars take full effect.
I’ve always been taught to plan for the worst, and be happily surprised if things turn out better. I know others who like to plan optimistically.
I’m glad this got started, but tying it to RTM seems risky. Reps don’t have a lot of trust at the moment and are considered by many to be out of touch with those they represent. There’s a disconnect. Representative Town Meeting might not last into the future. The committee might want to plan for it.
Also, we should note we already have a Future Collective in town that has been at work for a couple of years. It’s about love, art, and is anti-capitalistic.