Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Truro are remote. Go to truro-ma.gov and click on the meeting you want to watch. The agenda includes instructions on how to join.
Thursday, July 21
- Charter Review Committee, 4:15 p.m.
Monday, July 25
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 26
- Housing Authority, 4:45 p.m.
- Select Board, 5 p.m.
Wednesday, July 27
- OPEB (Other post-employment benefits) Trust, 12:30 p.m.
- Planning Board, 5 p.m.
Thursday, July 28
- Habitat for Humanity presentation, 4 p.m., Town Hall
Conversation Starters
Civility Pledge
The select board on July 12 prioritized 20 objectives for fiscal 2023 — among them the development of a “civility pledge.”
The board intends for the pledge to be spoken aloud at the beginning of every select board meeting and every select board-appointed committee meeting.
Board member Sue Areson will “serve as the ambassador for this objective.” She told the Independent the idea for a pledge was developed in a work session last spring in response to complaints about people’s behavior at meetings.
Tempers flared at the May 4 town meeting when the possibility of an appointed rather than elected planning board was discussed.
At the select board meeting on June 28, Amy Wolff, who was seeking appointment to the conservation commission, withdrew her application after vice chair Bob Weinstein criticized the way she acted at town meeting.
“I cannot support someone who behaves that way publicly to serve in any capacity for the community,” said Weinstein of Wolff.
Areson said the civility pledge is “symbolic,” but added “it will remind people who are on the board and in the audience to remain civil.”
The pledge should go into effect by the end of the fiscal year in June 2023.
Climate Action Plan
Another select board objective is to collaborate with the climate action committee and energy committee on a climate action plan. Initially, this idea was given the lowest priority.
“It’s so big, and it feels far away from an action item,” said Chair Kristen Reed. So she asked for suggestions on transforming the broad objective into an item that could be acted on.
You eat a killer whale one bite at a time, Reed said.
She suggested creating a hired position for someone to work on climate action items. Carol Harris, who chairs the climate action committee, objected that this was an easy “one-off.”
“I think we need a larger conversation about what the most impactful thing we could do is,” said Harris.
In the end, the objective was moved up from 20 to number 10 on the priority list without amendment. —Nora Markey
