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On Tuesday the Select Board reflected on Annual Town Meeting with Town Moderator, Cate Blake. It has become a bit of a Sudbury tradition to talk about driving higher attendance at Annual Town Meeting immediately after Annual Town Meeting concludes. Some ideas included moving Annual Town Meeting to the weekend, as well as increased promotion with signage ahead of Annual Town Meeting. However, some changes, like changing the day it happens, would require a bylaw change first.
As reported last week, Sudbury’s attendance numbers are generally consistent with other municipalities in Massachusetts. However, many towns are looking at ways to improve participation. Some are studying options, and others, like neighboring Wayland, have advocated for the State to allow remote participation at Town Meetings. The Select Board did not decide on any actions to take on Tuesday, though discussions may continue.
Members Russo, Roberts and Carty raised questions and regrets about how the Town Moderator handled the first motion to amend Article 16 (firearms business zoning) at Annual Town Meeting the week prior. Member Roberts shared feedback from residents who felt Town Meeting was circus-like.
Members also voiced some disappointment that the proponents of the original article (the three-member Select Board majority) weren’t given the opportunity to weigh in on the motion to amend before a vote was called. That eventually led to a question if there was a standard or legally-prescribed process for handling motions to amend articles at Town Meeting. The Town Moderator offered to discuss that with Town Counsel and come back before the board at a later date.