<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">I don’t think there’s anything precluding hybrid meetings, now or in the future. So, if the technology is set up right, members of the public can participate remote. And, yes the old rule allowed one and only one board member to be remote. <div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">But:</div><div class="">a. having more than one board member remote; or</div><div class="">b. limiting public in-person access and allowing the public to ONLY participate through a remote method </div><div class="">is only allowed because of the legislature’s June vote to extend covid protections until April 2022.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">My expectation is that the legislature will create a bill to allow some longer-term flexibility, but this is the MA legislature we are talking about here, so chances are that they will pass the bill sometime around midnight on the day that the current one expires. (remember, in June they actually passed the extension one day AFTER the previous one had expired, and my community needed to cancel a remote budget hearing scheduled for one night in June because of that).</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">-George Proakis</div><div class="">Somerville, MA</div><div class=""><div><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Dec 10, 2021, at 10:17 AM, Douglas Finn via MassPlanners <<a href="mailto:massplanners@masscptc.org" class="">massplanners@masscptc.org</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class="">Even in pre-covid times, one member of a board or committee could participate remotely -- under certain, somewhat limiting circumstances.<br class=""><br class="">However, I don't know that remote participation by applicants, or members of the public was precluded -- provided that the meeting was always open to in-person attendance and participation. Perhaps someone else could confirm?<br class=""><br clear="all" class=""><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr" class=""><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div class=""><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)" class="">Thanks,</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34)" class=""><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34)" class=""><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34)" class="">- Doug.</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34)" class=""><br clear="all" style="color:rgb(34,34,34)" class=""><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34)" class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div dir="ltr" class="">Douglas Finn, Assistant<br class="">Edgartown Planning Board<div class="">70 Main Street, PO Box 5130<br class="">Edgartown, MA 02539</div><div class=""><span style="font-size:12.8px" class="">508-627-6170<br class=""></span><a href="mailto:dfinn@edgartown-ma.us" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank" class="">dfinn@edgartown-ma.us</a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br class=""></div><br class=""><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Fri, Dec 10, 2021 at 10:05 AM Rachel Benson via MassPlanners <<a href="mailto:massplanners@masscptc.org" class="">massplanners@masscptc.org</a>> wrote:<br class=""></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
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<div class="gmail-m_8994196745787435343WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal">Hi Everybody!<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p><p class="MsoNormal">Has there been any movement to permanently change the open meeting law requirement to allow for remote participation of the public and Board members after April 2022? <u class=""></u><u class=""></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="">Thank you and have a great day!<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="">Rachel Benson</span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif" class=""><u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif" class="">Director of Planning & Economic Development<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif" class="">Town of Wrentham<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif" class="">79 South Street<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif" class="">Wrentham, MA 02093<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif" class="">508-384-5400 x5441<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,112,192)" class=""><a href="http://www.wrentham.ma.us/" target="_blank" class=""><span style="color:rgb(0,112,192)" class="">www.wrentham.ma.us</span></a>
<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,112,192)" class=""><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif" class="">Please be advised that the Massachusetts Secretary of State considers e-mail to be a public record, and therefore subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, M.G.L. c. 66
§ 10.<u class=""></u><u class=""></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><u class=""></u> <u class=""></u></p>
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