For Committee Members: Meeting Minutes

Approved by the Selectboard on 1/7/2026

Per the Open Meeting Law:

• Minutes of all open sessions shall be created and approved in a timely manner
• If someone requests the minutes, they should be provided to them within 10 days, even if in draft form
• The minutes of any open session, the notes, recordings or other materials used in the preparation of such minutes, and all documents and exhibits used at the session, shall be public records in their entirety and not exempt from disclosure

Minutes Must Include

• Date, time, and place of the meeting
• Members present or absent
• A summary of the discussions on each subject
• A list of documents and other exhibits used at the meeting
• The decisions made, and the actions taken at each meeting, including the record of all votes.

Recordings

Recordings of meetings are not a substitute for minutes.

Review and Approval

• The Clerk must distribute draft minutes to committee members ahead of next regular meeting of the committee for their review
• The committee must vote to accept all minutes
• The Selectboard asks Committees to review and approve minutes in a timely fashion. This would be ideally at the next meeting or, in rare cases, the meeting after that.

Posting

• Minutes are public information and must be sent immediately upon approval to the Town Clerk for posting on the Town’s website
• It is the Chair’s responsibility to ensure recording and posting of minutes although the task may be undertaken by another
• All Committees are legally responsible for keeping and posting their minutes