Special to The Bedford Citizen
At Annual Town Meeting this spring, Moderator Cathy Cordes announced the formation of a task force to explore ways to make Town Meeting more attractive and accessible to Bedford residents.
Anyone who is interested in participating on this task force or would like to find out more, is invited to meet on May 22 at Town Hall at 7:30 pm in the second-floor conference room. This is an open meeting.
Here are some ideas of what we might investigate further:
Provision of child care during Town Meeting sessions.
Change logistics:
- Change meeting days and/or times
- Change quorum needed (now at 100)
- Set time limits on articles
- Set additional limits on speakers who may dominate discussion
- Make sure all new residents get Town Meeting procedure information.
Use of technology to increase accessibility:
- Make visuals more accessible (downloadable, multiple monitors, handouts).
- Show Town Meeting on live television and/or streaming options.
- Allow call-in questions.
- Adopt electronic voting and consider using it for registered voters not “in the room”.
- Use webinars, YouTube or other platforms to provide education about Town Meeting procedures, “Town Meeting how-tos” and article review.
These are intended to start the thinking. There will be opportunities for voters to add additional ideas and to express their opinions. The Task Force will research best practices in other towns with Open Town Meetings, survey townspeople in Bedford, and review the viability of potential recommendations before any changes are made.
Individuals who would like to serve on the task force or simply want to know more are welcome to attend this meeting and participate as much or as little as desired.
For further information please contact Cathy Cordes [email protected] or call 781-888-0226.
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