Despite the burden it places on town staff, the October special Town Meeting will be held in a hybrid format.
To reduce the need for her staff to use compensatory time — as that department doesn’t have an overtime budget — Town Administrator Patrice Garvin will be the only member of her office to attend.
“We used to have maybe a couple Town Meetings a year. We’re at a point where we’re having Town Meetings every couple of months,” she said. “The amount of strain that puts on my office is a lot. We used to have a spring and a fall [meeting].”
This fiscal year alone, there was a special Town Meeting in July, with another scheduled for Oct. 20 and a subsequent special Town Meeting scheduled for early 2026. In the spring, the town will hold its annual Town Meeting.
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“Until that changes, hybrid is really a challenge,” Garvin said.
Board members acknowledged the convenience the increased accessibility provides to residents. Moderator Michael Crowley highlighted two reasons in particular for his hybrid recommendation.
“One is the convenience for parents who have kids to take care of at home, for whom attending an in-person meeting is difficult,” said Crowley. “I’ve heard from many parents that they were thankful we had our last meeting in a hybrid format. There is a hope we will continue to do that.”
The other benefit of a hybrid meeting is it allows the elderly or immunocompromised a means to attend.
“I don’t want to be alarmist at all, but I do want to point out we’re experiencing an upsurge in COVID activity both statewide … as well as more locally and in the region,” he said.
Select Board Chair Matt Taylor and his peers acknowledged the challenge a hybrid meeting poses for town staff, but agreed with Crowley’s recommendation. Taylor said if the town can “swing it,” offering a hybrid meeting was “incredibly important.”
“I think Town Meeting has become substantially more inclusive since we started going to hybrid and remote, and has welcomed in a group of people that have historically not participated,” said member Taylor Yates.
“We made a commitment we’d do it if possible,” added Select Board member Elizabeth Dionne. “But we need to make it clear it comes at a cost.”
