Meetings Ahead
Most meetings in Truro are remote. Go to Truro-ma.gov and click on the meeting you are interested in. The agenda includes instructions on how to join.
Thursday, Dec. 7
- Climate Action Committee, 10 a.m., Public Library
- Beach Advisory Committee, 4:15 p.m., Public Library
- Commission on Disabilities, 4:30 p.m., Council on Aging
Tuesday, Dec. 12
- Human Services Committee, 1 p.m., Town Hall
- Select Board, 5 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 13
- Council on Aging Board, 9 a.m., COA
Conversation Starter
A Governor’s Bill, Just in Case
When special town meeting was postponed on Nov. 28 for the fourth time, it was put off for over five months — until May 4. The long wait was predicated on the fact that the meeting will need to be held outdoors because there is no place in town large enough to hold the expected crowd.
The select board voted unanimously on Dec. 5 to pursue a special act, known as a governor’s bill, that would “give the town flexibility to hold the town meeting elsewhere that provides for increased capacity.”
The time for a governor’s bill, said Town Counsel Lauren Goldberg of KP Law, is “when there’s a need for legislation that can’t wait.” The provision falls under section eight of the Home Rule Amendment (article 89) to the state constitution.
Town Manager Darrin Tangeman said that certain circumstances could require the town to hold town meeting sooner than May: like a petition with 200 voter signatures or a court order. “It is incumbent on the select board to have options in the winter months to be able to accommodate more than 523 voters,” he said.
Board member Stephanie Rein said the bill would offer flexibility for future meetings. “I would hope that the voters continue to be engaged at this level,” Rein said. “It’s a problem, but I think it’s a good problem.”
“I think that holding the meeting out of town should be an absolute last resort,” said vice chair Sue Areson, although she agreed that the legislation is worth pursuing. She wondered about using technology to hold the meeting in several venues in town, like using the community center for overflow rather than just other rooms at the school.
The board, with town staff, ran through the capacities of possible venues in Truro, Provincetown, and Eastham. Board member Bob Weinstein asked about the capacity of the school’s ballfield, where the May meeting is set to occur. In the past, he said, “there were large numbers of people who were standing.”
“I’ve had people ask about beaches,” chair Kristen Reed said, noting problems related to electricity, technology, parking, and chairs.
Tangeman said that “if the DPW facility in its current design was built, it could accommodate over 1,000 voters.” —Sophie Mann-Shafir
