In response to the recent post Planning Board Members Opposed to public Comment Planning Board member Jake Butler responded in a Facebook comment
Thanks for your coverage of the most recent meeting, Glenn.
I would like to clear up some mis leading information for the public who may follow your community information page.
The chairman of the board does not allow public comment during work sessions, or workshops such as the 9/13 CIP work session you referred to. There was 2 other public hearings on the agenda that night. These hearings had public input, since they were a public hearing.
These work sessions are traditionally a time for the planning board as a whole to hear something for the first time. In this case it was the most recent CIP. This was the first time that it was presented to the planning board, as well as the first time for the public to hear it at the planning board level.
After the Planning board work session, a public hearing is held. This public hearing is for members of the public to come out and ask questions that they may have. In this case, the public hearing was at the very next Planning Board meeting on 10/4.
During the workshop session, the chairman did decide to open up public input on the CIP work session. The chairman did this in the same order that he would a public hearing.
Listening to the presentation
Going to town staff
The board
Then the public.
1 member of the public had something to say after the presentation.
I would also like to note that a member of the public did interrupt the work session, and town staff had a back and forth conversation with that member of the public. I had asked the chair that if the member of the public was going to continue to speak that we would have them come to the microphone. It was at that time where the member of the public said they did not need to. This was followed by the chair stating he wanted the presentation to finish and that he would allow a brief public comment after the presentation. Not comment in the middle of the presentation where it was interrupting the presentation itself.
At the following 10/4 meeting, the public hearing, there was only 1 member of the public with input.
The most recent work session about the proposed zoning adjustments, will have a public hearing, for the public to attend, and provide input at next month.
Jake Butler 11/16/2023
I’m not sure where the misleading information is. The original post quoted Planning Board members and provided a link to the video. The post also referenced the CIP workshop, again with a link to the video. Mr. Butler’s response confirmed that the Planning Board chair does not allow public comment outside of public hearings.
The fact still remains that the only opportunity to address the Planning Board on projects that may affect you, your neighborhood or town is during a Public Hearing. Many times these hearings are held after multiple meetings and workshops have discussed the issue with no public input. The Public Hearing presents the final product of Planning Board members only. Resident have no input in what that final product will be when the Planning Board refuses to solicit input until after all decisions have been made.
Related Posts:
Planning Board Members Opposed to public Comment
Planning Board Resists Public Input