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<p><font size="+1"><font face="Times New Roman">Hi Richard,</font></font></p>
<p><font size="+1"><font face="Times New Roman">Respectfully, you're
wrong.</font></font></p>
<p><font size="+1"><font face="Times New Roman">My read is that for
Hearings, virtual is ok provided we allow for "Participation".
<br>
</font></font></p>
<p><font size="+1"><font face="Times New Roman">We've been
conducting Hearings this way via Zoom for months now. The
Public posting of the Meeting on the town website provides a
link and a phone number for anyone who wishes to join us.
We've conducted Hearings with participation of well over a
hundred citizens. When Public comment time comes, folks hold
their virtual hands up for recognition by the Chair. They are
then un-muted and provide testimony or ask questions. (It's
actually working far better than I had anticipated.) <br>
</font></font></p>
<p><font size="+1"><font face="Times New Roman">This latest
extension language from the legislature and signed by the
Governor is below. (Please excuse the line numbers and the
crude paste job...)</font></font></p>
<p><font size="+1"><font face="Times New Roman">I do recognize that
some communities may be using a Remote Participation
Application that doesn't allow for the public to join them
without a specific invitation. If that's the case, then you're
up the creek... or more accurately, you're in the real world
meeting room again. ;)<br>
</font></font></p>
<p><font size="+1"><font face="Times New Roman">Good Luck,</font></font></p>
<p><font size="+1"><font face="Times New Roman">H. LaCortiglia</font></font></p>
<p><font size="+1"><font face="Times New Roman">Chairman Georgetown
P.B> <br>
</font></font></p>
<p><font size="+1"><font face="Times New Roman"><br>
<br>
138 SECTION 20. (a) For the purposes of this section,
“adequate, alternative means of public<br>
139 access” shall mean measures that provide transparency and
permit timely and effective public<br>
140 access to the deliberations of the public body, including,
but not limited to, providing public<br>
141 access through telephone, internet, satellite enabled
audio or video conferencing or any other<br>
142 technology that enables the public to clearly follow the
proceedings of the public body while<br>
143 those activities are occurring.<br>
144 (b) Notwithstanding section 20 of chapter 30A of the
General Laws or any general or<br>
145 special law to the contrary, a public body, as defined in
section 18 of said chapter 30A, shall not<br>
146 be required to conduct its meetings in a public place that
is open and physically accessible to the<br>
147 public; provided, that if the public body does not conduct
the meeting in a public place that is<br>
148 open and physically accessible to the public, the public
body shall ensure public access to the<br>
149 deliberations of the public body for interested members of
the public through adequate,<br>
150 alternative means of public access. Where active,
real-time participation by members of the<br>
151 public is a specific requirement of a general or special
law, regulation or a local ordinance or by-<br>
152 law, pursuant to which the proceeding is conducted, any
adequate, alternative means of public<br>
153 access shall provide for such participation and shall be
sufficient to meet such participation<br>
154 requirement. A municipal public body that for reasons of
economic hardship and despite best<br>
155 efforts is unable to provide adequate, alternative means
of public access that will enable the<br>
156 public to follow the proceedings of the municipal public
body as those activities are occurring in<br>
157 real time may instead post on its municipal website a full
and complete transcript, recording or<br>
158 other comprehensive record of the proceedings as soon as
practicable upon conclusion of the<br>
159 proceedings. This paragraph shall not apply to proceedings
that are conducted pursuant to a<br>
160 general or special law, regulation or a local ordinance or
by-law that requires allowance for<br>
161 active participation by members of the public. A public
body shall offer its selected adequate,<br>
162 alternative means of public access to its proceedings
without subscription, toll or similar charge<br>
163 to the public.<br>
164 (c) Notwithstanding subsection (d) of section 20 of
chapter 30A of the General Laws or<br>
165 any other general or special law to the contrary, a public
body may allow remote participation by<br>
166 all members in any meeting of the public body and a quorum
of the body and the chair shall not<br>
167 be required to be physically present at a specified
meeting location.<br>
168 (d) A public body that elects to conduct its proceedings
under this section shall ensure<br>
169 that any party entitled or required to appear before it
shall be able to appear through remote<br>
170 means, as if the party were a member of the public body
and participating remotely as provided<br>
171 in subsection (b).<br>
172 (e) All other provisions of sections 18 to 25 of chapter
30A of the General Laws and the<br>
173 attorney general’s implementing regulations shall
otherwise remain unchanged and fully<br>
174 applicable to the activities of public bodies.<br>
175 (f) Notwithstanding said section 20 of said chapter 30A,
if this section does not take<br>
176 effect until after June 15, 2021, a public body may
provide for remote meetings as specified in<br>
177 this section and any action taken thereof shall be
ratified, validated and confirmed as if this<br>
178 section had been in place.<br>
<br>
</font></font></p>
<p><font size="+1"><font face="Times New Roman"></font></font><br>
</p>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 6/17/2021 9:38 AM, Richard McCarthy
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:a1bd46bd6c066da757cf4deb86dc6e0e@mail.gmail.com">
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<p class="MsoNormal">Good morning all,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Seeking clarity, if we have public hearings
those have to be in person the extension only pertains to
business that’s not a public hearing.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m right or wrong? </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sincerely,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old
Style","serif"">Richard J. McCarthy, Jr.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old
Style","serif"">Town Planner</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old
Style","serif"">1 Liberty Lane</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old
Style","serif"">Norfolk, MA 02056</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old
Style","serif"">508-440-2807</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old
Style","serif"">Office Hours- Monday through
Thursday 9am to 6pm</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old
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