<div dir="ltr">Good Morning All!<div><br></div><div>The AGO released this new guidance pertaining to virtual and hybrid meetings which you can find here: <a href="https://www.mass.gov/service-details/updated-guidance-on-holding-meetings-pursuant-to-the-act-extending-certain-covid-19-measures">https://www.mass.gov/service-details/updated-guidance-on-holding-meetings-pursuant-to-the-act-extending-certain-covid-19-measures</a></div><div><br></div><div>I've pasted the first three paragraphs below:</div><div><br></div><div><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1.75rem;color:rgb(20,20,20);font-family:"Noto Sans VF","Noto Sans",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18.3333px"><span style="box-sizing:inherit"><span style="box-sizing:inherit">This Act includes an extension, until April 1, 2022, of the remote meeting provisions of his March 12, 2020, Executive Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law. The new law has two major parts.</span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1.75rem;color:rgb(20,20,20);font-family:"Noto Sans VF","Noto Sans",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18.3333px"><span style="box-sizing:inherit"><span style="box-sizing:inherit">First, the new law allows public bodies to continue providing live “adequate, alternative means” of public access to the deliberations of the public body, instead of holding meetings in a public place that is open and physically accessible to the public. “Adequate, alternative means” may include, without limitation, providing public access through telephone, internet, or satellite enabled audio or video conferencing or any other technology that enables the public to clearly follow the proceedings of the public body in real time.</span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1.75rem;color:rgb(20,20,20);font-family:"Noto Sans VF","Noto Sans",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18.3333px"><span style="box-sizing:inherit"><span style="box-sizing:inherit">Second, the new law authorizes all members of a public body to continue participating in meetings remotely; the Open Meeting Law’s requirement that a quorum of the body and the chair be physically present at the meeting location remains suspended.</span></span></p></div><div><b>So, based on that I think the very short answer is that you can continue to hold virtual-only meetings for the time being.</b><br></div><div><br></div><div>Best,</div><div><br></div><div>Christian Brandt, AICP</div><div>Planner and Community Engagement Specialist I</div><div>Metropolitan Area Planning Council</div><div>617-933-0796 | <a href="mailto:cbrandt@mapc.org">cbrandt@mapc.org</a> </div><div><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">Den tor. 17. jun. 2021 kl. 10.07 skrev Harry LaCortiglia <<a href="mailto:hlacortiglia@comcast.net">hlacortiglia@comcast.net</a>>:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div>
<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>On 6/17/2021 9:38 AM, Richard McCarthy
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>
<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>Richard J. McCarthy, Jr.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Town Planner</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>1 Liberty Lane</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Norfolk, MA 02056</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>508-440-2807</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Office Hours- Monday through
Thursday 9am to 6pm</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Closed Fridays</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:Tahoma,sans-serif">Please
be advised that the Secretary of State has determined that
e-mail sent by or received by municipal employees is a
public record.</span><span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
</div>
<br>
<fieldset></fieldset>
</blockquote>
</div>
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</blockquote></div><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><em>Christian Brandt</em></div><div><i>90 School Street, Somerville, MA 02143</i></div><div><em><a href="mailto:christian.w.brandt.12@gmail.com" target="_blank">christian.w.brandt.12@gmail.com</a> </em></div><div><em>208.596.2895</em></div><div><br></div></div></div></div></div></div>