The meeting opened with an in-depth exploration of how the open meeting law affects subcommittees and working groups. It was clarified that, under the law, any group designated by the committee to perform work on its behalf is considered a subcommittee, regardless of its official title. This means that even informal meetings of two or more members must comply with open meeting law requirements, including public notice and minute-taking. Concerns were raised about these regulations being cumbersome, particularly when council members attempt to gather community feedback in informal settings.

Parallel to this, the council deliberated on how best to engage with their legal counsel, KP Law, while controlling expenses. A proposal was made to compile legal questions collectively and submit them to the attorney for written responses, as was previously done during the review of town bylaws. This approach aims to streamline legal consultations, minimizing ongoing costs by avoiding the need for frequent attorney presence at meetings. Members agreed that an initial presentation from KP Law would be beneficial to frame their discussions, although the timing of such a presentation remained a point of debate.

Scheduling of future meetings also took center stage. The committee discussed potential conflicts with holidays and the need for flexibility, ultimately deciding to adopt a bi-weekly meeting schedule but with room for adjustments. The scheduling conversation was complicated by staff availability for managing virtual meetings, highlighting the logistical challenges of maintaining consistent engagement while accommodating members’ personal commitments. A specific decision was made to cancel the meeting scheduled for Halloween and reschedule it to November 7th, with an additional meeting on November 21st, though this raised concerns about having too many consecutive meetings.

Public outreach emerged as another important topic, with the council considering how best to form subgroups to engage various communities. The idea of delegating outreach responsibilities to individual members was proposed to streamline efforts and ensure effective communication. This led to discussions about the necessity of forming subcommittees for outreach, which were postponed until a clearer strategy could be established.

In the course of the meeting, the election of officers was conducted, resulting in the confirmation of a chair and vice chair.

The council also explored the potential for a committee retreat to serve as both a social gathering and a productive strategy session. Suggestions for future agenda items included updates on the committee’s website and incorporating feedback from the League of Women Voters. The idea of adding a feedback form to the website was floated to improve public input and engagement.