Public Participation at Selectboard Meetings

Adopted by the Selectboard on March 7, 2018 Amended: 3/22/2023

The Princeton Selectboard welcomes everyone to its meetings and all other public meetings of the Town of Princeton. All regular and special meetings of the boards and committees of the Town of Princeton shall be open to the public and shall conform to the Open Meeting Law. Executive sessions are closed to the public and will be held only as prescribed by the statutes of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. We are your elected and appointed officials and we serve as representatives of the community. The Princeton Selectboard believes that community participation is important and vital to its understanding of the views, ideas, and needs of the community. Therefore, we will take steps to inform and to listen.

During meetings of the Selectboard and other town boards and committees, all attempts will be made to find a balance between hearing from members of the community and conducting required business. In order to achieve this objective, the following rules and procedures are established for the Selectboard:

1. The Chair shall preside over the meeting. In this role, s/he may acknowledge speakers from the public. Except during the Public Comment period (discussed below), or a public hearing required by law, members of the public have no right to speak at Selectboard meetings. During any part of the meeting, members of the public may be recognized by the Chair to speak on an item before the board or committee. Asking one member of the public to speak on a specific topic does not mean that anyone else will be recognized at that time. All remarks will be addressed through the Chair of the meeting rather than directly to other participants.
2. The Selectboard reserves a portion of its meetings for Public Comment and encourages participation as follows:

• • Public Comment is a time when town residents can bring matters before the Selectboard that require a minimum of discussion.
  • Please try to keep your comments short and to the point. Each speaker will be allowed 3 minutes to speak during the Public Comment period. This is a per-person total that is unaffected by the number of topics the speaker addresses.
  • If it appears that the topic(s) being discussed will consume longer than the three minutes allocated then, at the discretion of the Chair, the matter will be placed on an upcoming Selectboard meeting agenda.
  • If you believe that your topic will require more time or desire to make a more formal presentation than is allowed under these guidelines, please contact the Town Administrator to ask to be put on a future agenda so that we can properly allocate enough time.
  • You are free to ask questions or to make your point for all to consider. However, the Selectboard reserves the right not to engage with speakers during the Public Comment period. All comments and questions must be directed to the Chair of the Selectboard.
  • All comments must be presented in a peaceable and orderly manner