Information & Resources for Boards, Committees & Commissions

• Certificate of Receipt of Open Meeting Law Material (PDF)
• General Law-Part I, Title III, Chapter 30A, Sections 18-25 (PDF)
• New OML Regulations (PDF)
• Open Meeting Law Guide (2018 with ed materials) (PDF)

To ask specific questions about the Open Meeting Law or to report a violation, click here.

Each year, the Town Clerk's office is required to deliver (and obtain a receipt of delivery), the Ethics Summary to every employee, elected official, and member of boards, committees and commissions.

• Conflict of Interest Summary (PDF)
• Conflict of Interest Summary Acknowledgement Receipt (PDF)

View the online training program for municipal employees. The online training program should take approximately an hour to complete.

For detailed information regarding the Conflict of Interest Laws, refer to the State Ethics Commission.

• Meetings must be open to the public and held in an accessible public space
• Meeting Notices must be emailed to the Town Clerk at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting day/time (excluding Saturday/Sunday/Holiday)
• Meeting Minutes must be kept by the committee and posted to the Town website.
• Committees cannot act without a quorum of  50% +1 of the full committee
• Executive Sessions may be called for specific purposes only and must be properly documented (See Open Meeting Guide for list)
• Email communications between members are prohibited except for housekeeping or administrative purposes
• All committee emails must be retained as public record

The Town Clerk and/or Town Counsel is available for guidance in this matter.

Public Posting: It is the responsibility of the committee Chair or committee designee to notify the Town Clerk of the time, date, and place of meetings. The posting should also include the agenda listing all topics that the committee reasonably anticipates will be discussed at the meeting. It is suggested that discussion matters be scheduled; this will help to avoid inconvenience to the citizens who attend a meeting to see action on a specific subject. State law requires, except for emergencies, that meetings be posted at least 48 hours in advance, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

It is the responsibility of the sender to confirm receipt and posting by the Town Clerk's Office to ensure compliance with the 48-hour OML posting requirement. Notice will be posted on the Town's website for all meetings.

It is the responsibility of the Board or Committee holding the meeting to verify that the meeting is posted timely and accurately to the Public Meeting Calendar.

Recordkeeping and Minutes: State law requires a committee keep accurate written records of its public meetings and vote to approve all minutes. The records of each regular meeting are public information. Minutes must include record of the date, time and place of the meeting, the members present and absent, documents discussed at the meeting, and any actions taken at each meeting, including executive sessions.

The committee Chair, or designee, must maintain a paper copy and an electronic version of all approved minutes for public record. The Chair must submit committee minutes in electronic format, to the Appointing Authority and must post to the Town's website.

Citizens appointed to public committees are not subject to any restrictions concerning political activity. All appointed members have an obligation to foster and preserve a sense of public trust. Members must avoid becoming involved in matters that are directly affected by or affect their personal or professional interests. Each member must make known personal issues that pertain to any matter of discussion to the committee.

The following procedures will avoid problems:

• Disclose interest and ask the secretary to note this disclosure in the minutes.
• Avoid participation in any discussion of the matter.
• Abstain from voting on the matter

This practice should be followed if there is even a hint of a conflict of interest. Town Counsel is available for guidance in this matter.

All resigning members must submit their resignation in writing to the Town Clerk and to the appointing authority. As a matter of courtesy, the resigning member should send a copy to the committee Chair.