[Massplanners] Virtual Executive Session

[Alexandra Clee]

We do this exact thing in Needham except that the vote to go into Exec Session includes a vote to adjourn directly from ES and so we don’t go back to Webinar after.

Thanks, alex.

Alexandra Clee
Assistant Town Planner
Needham, MA
www.needhamma.gov/planning<http://www.needhamma.gov/planning>

From: MassPlanners <massplanners-bounces at masscptc.org> On Behalf Of Kaila Sauer via MassPlanners
Sent: Thursday, August 3, 2023 11:09 AM
To: Colleen Canning <ccanning at southhadleyma.gov>; MassPlanners at masscptc.org
Subject: Re: [Massplanners] Virtual Executive Session

Hi Colleen,

We use Zoom Webinar for our meetings. For executive sessions, we schedule a Zoom Meeting and provide the link to just the Board and Staff. After opening the public meeting on Zoom Webinar, we all leave the Webinar and head onto the Zoom Meeting. After the executive session, we all then head back onto the Zoom Webinar. My understanding is that attendees on the Webinar just need to enter the Webinar again and wait for the host to start the meeting back up. We haven’t had any major issues with this process so far.

Thank you,

Kaila Sauer, AICP Candidate
Assistant Planner II
Town of Acton
978-929-6631
ksauer at actonma.gov<mailto:ksauer at actonma.gov>

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From: MassPlanners <massplanners-bounces at masscptc.org<mailto:massplanners-bounces at masscptc.org>> On Behalf Of Colleen Canning via MassPlanners
Sent: Thursday, August 3, 2023 10:46 AM
To: massplanners at masscptc.org<mailto:massplanners at masscptc.org>
Subject: [Massplanners] Virtual Executive Session

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Re: Virtual Executive Session


Hi Planners,


I would like to hear about successful experiences holding fully virtual executive session.


As I understand, to satisfy the letter of the law, a board must enter a ‘regular’ meeting and then the chair calls the meeting into executive session. This appears to pose a challenge with the limitations of hosting a zoom webinar/meeting.


For our typical meetings we have had success with zoom webinar as ‘panelists’ (board members, staff and applicants) are in view and ‘attendees’ (members of the public) are not in view and can only speak after ‘raising hand’ and being called upon by the chair to be promoted to ‘panelist’. I imagine this is how many planning boards use Zoom.


In my ideal version of a virtual executive session, we'd host a zoom webinar as typical and  then I’d manually remove all attendees when we enter executive session. During executive session,  new attendees would be in a virtual ‘ waiting room’ until a point at which executive session has ended and then I’d authorize all attendees to join. Unfortunately, it appears that zoom meeting (not zoom webinar) is the platform which allows for a ‘waiting room’. Zoom meeting is great for informal meetings but invites a level of chaos when hosting a public meeting. Zoom meeting does not allow for a separate ‘attendee’ category as all who join can be seen on camera and can speak without prior authorization.


Thank you for your responses!

Colleen Canning
Planning/Conservation Coordinator

(413)-538-5030 X6127
ccanning at southhadleyma.gov<mailto:ccanning at southhadleyma.gov>
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