External Issues Working Group Meeting
August 5, 5:00 pm
Outdoor patio at the Brattleboro Food Coop
The agenda is to review suggestions concerning items related to the lead-up and preparation for Representative Town Meeting.
The public is invited to attend this discussion on issues concerning Representative Town Meeting.
Agenda (120 min)
Call to order
Agenda review (3)
Approve last meeting minutes (3)
Roles for this meeting (3)
Announcements (5)
The Brattleboro Citizens Police Communication Committee (CPCC) will meet on Monday, June 28, 2021 at 5:30pm in the Brooks Memorial Library Main Reading Room. The RTM Finance Committee will meet on Tuesday, June 29, 2021 at 6:00pm at the Brattleboro Co-op Outdoor Café. The Brattleboro Tree Committee will meet at 6:30pm at 9 Southern Avenue in Brattleboro.
Agenda
June 21, 2021
5:30 pm
Library Mtg Room
Call to Order 1 min
2. Agenda Review 2
1. Call to Order
2. Agenda Review
3. Approve minutes
4. Announcements 1a. Town webpage
5. Reports: 5a) Subcommittee on Survey 5b) Subcommittee on Internal Rules
Agenda (minutes planned = 90)
• Call to order (5)
• Agenda review (5)
• Approve last meeting minutes (5)
• Announcements (5)
• Meeting protocols and etiquette (Robert’s Rules vs. VCLT alternatives) (15)
The Representative Town Meeting Steering Committee will meet on Monday, May 3, 2021 at 4:00pm using Zoom (with no physical location due to the ongoing social distancing requirements of COVID-19). The attached agenda contains information on how to access the meeting remotely, including the required “passcode.”
The Brattleboro Tree Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, May 6, 2021, at 9 Southern Avenue (call 257-1164 for directions). The agenda is attached.
The RTM Finance Committee will meet on Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 6:00pm using zoom (with no physical location due to the ongoing social distancing requirements of COVID-19). The Citizens Police Communications Committee (CPCC) will meet on Monday, April 26, 2021 at 5:30pm using zoom (with no physical location due to the ongoing social distancing requirements of COVID-19). The attached agendas contain information on how to access the meetings remotely, including the required “passcodes.”
The RTM Steering Committee will meet on Monday, April 19, 2021 at 7:00pm using zoom (with no physical location due to the ongoing social distancing requirements of COVID-19). The attached agenda contains information on how to access the meeting remotely, including the required “passcode.”
It was the first April meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard, the first meeting with Elizabeth McLoughlin as Chair, the first time Congressman Peter Welch has told Brattleboro about $3.3 million on the way, and the first time we learn of Town Manager Peter Elwell’s planned retirement at the end of the year.
Much discussion, though, was about goals for the coming year.
A. Introductions and announcements
B. Review Open Meeting Law
C. Discuss schedule and plan for the year
D. Adjourn
It was a ka-RAZY meeting. The 2021 RTM ran into overtime and continued Sunday (3/21), and since the members only had the remaining agenda to handle, they were alert and curious at the end. Many members and the moderator made efforts to preserve even more time for the proposals of the RTM members.
BCS advanced an uncontroversial educational pamphlet for the members that passed overwhelmingly. Toward the end there were a glitch and a flurry of objections as the establishment didn’t have a quorum (enough participants) for a big money maneuver. The panic was hilarious, as the moderator counted the members three times and Tim Wessel apparently arranged for people to return from dinner to vote to “adjourn the meeting to a later date so we could convene only to officially end the meeting”.
It was so much fun they decided to do some more meeting.
Here’s your link to Brattleboro’s Representative Town meeting 2021 – Day 2!
Here’s your link to the 2021 Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting.
As always, if anything is notable, you can make note of it!
The dramatic front page Reformer article of March 17th, “Representative Town Meeting reform pitched” left me wondering if Kurt Daims and his “common sense” gang had really done their homework around Brattleboro’s current governmental structure.
Mr. Daims seems to have some confusion as to the roles of both Representative Town Meeting and of the Selectboard. Lately he has been fond of quoting our Town Charter (reviewed and revised as recently as 2013-2016) which states that RTM is “a guiding body for the town and a source of ideas, proposals and comments…” without allowing that full paragraph’s quote to continue with “It exercises exclusively all powers vested in the voters of the Town.” The mention of the powers of voters is the important phrase there.
Water leaks and collapsing walls were part of the first post-Daylight Savings Time regular meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard. The Department of Public Works reported on a couple of recent and ongoing emergency repairs downtown involving water.
The board heard an update on the work of the Windham Regional Commission, found out more about how poorly parking revenues are going this year, hired a company to do cemetery maintenance, and purchased some new playground equipment. And board members said goodbye to Brandie Starr and Jan Anderson, thanking them for their service.
Playground equipment, cemetery maintenance, and Representative Town meeting loose ends will be on the agenda for the next regular meeting for the Brattleboro Selectboard.
The board will also buy an insertion valve, hear updates on recent projects at the Windham Regional Commission, and appoint a new health officer, WRC delegates, and committee members. You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.
Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting members should try an experiment. The body should form a Warrant Committee for a trial period of one year and see how it goes.
What’s a Warrant Committee?
When Bob Gannett brought Representative Town Meeting to Brattleboro, his experience with it began in Milton, MA. And in Milton, Town Meeting Representatives have a much bigger role in setting the agenda and budget to be voted on. Representatives elect a 15 person Warrant Committee to decide what articles will be warned.
Agenda
A. Introductions and announcements
B. Approve minutes
C. Review and revise draft reports
D. Public participation
E. Adjourn
The Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee will hold a meeting on Thursday, February 18, 2021 at 4:00pm using Zoom (with no physical location due to the ongoing social distancing requirements of COVID-19). The attached agenda contains information about how to access the meeting remotely.
