[MassHistPres] local HC minutes

[Tucker, Jonathan]

The minutes of standing town committee meetings must note the time,
place, and date of the meeting, all committee members and town officials
in attendance, any members of the public who speak or otherwise
participate in the meeting, agenda items discussed, actions (votes)
taken, and the time of adjournment.

Recording any substance or details of committee deliberations goes
beyond what is required and is at the discretion of the board/committee.
If they want themselves or anyone else to understand why they voted the
way they did, they might want to at least include brief summaries of the
discussions leading up to those votes.  We have found it useful to be
able to cite past minutes to demonstrate to current boards (and
sometimes the public) where there has been a steady consensus for or
against specific policies, and why.   

Jonathan Tucker
Planning Director
Town Hall, 4 Boltwood Ave.
Amherst, MA  01002
(413) 259-3040
(413) 259-2410 [fax]
tuckerj at amherstma.gov   
 

-----Original Message-----
From: masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu
[mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu] On Behalf Of Marcia Starkey
Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2008 10:49 PM
To: slater at alum.rpi.edu; masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] local HC minutes

My experience with two HCs is that it takes an able person to take and 
produce good minutes on a long term basis. We have one when work doesn't

interfere. An important associated question is the level of detail 
required. The law is, I believe, that topics and actions must be
recorded, 
but not the discussion. ??
Marcia Starkey, Greenfield

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <slater at alum.rpi.edu>
To: <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2008 12:39 PM
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] local HC minutes


> I'm curious if this clerk, or the secretary of any MA HCs are paid
> positions.
>
> If not, how do you coerce someone to do work in an unpaid position
which
> doesn't have the status of being a commissioner? Do HCs have
> commissioners who are willing to volunteer as the secretary (which can
> be elected from within or outside the commission)?
>
> Ralph
>
>
>>The Clerk of Amherst's Historical Commission takes
>>the meeting notes on
>>her laptop and then refines them into printed minutes which are
>>reviewed, approved, and archived. Usually she circulates the draft
>>minutes via email prior to the next meeting, then staff provide hard
>>copies at the meeting. Amendments made during approval are noted on
her
>>laptop and final versions sent to staff.
>>
>>Jonathan Tucker
>>Planning Director
>>Town Hall, 4 Boltwood Ave.
>>Amherst, MA 01002
>>(413) 259-3040
>>(413) 259-2410 [fax]
>>tuckerj at amherstma.gov
>>
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu
>>[mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu] On Behalf Of Marcia Starkey
>>Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2008 9:53 AM
>>To: MassHistPres
>>Subject: [MassHistPres] local HC minutes
>>
>>Hello,
>>
>>Are there local historical commissions who do other than take longhand
>>notes of meeting minutes? What are, or are there.. new technologies
for
>>doing it another way? This is always a job that needs help!
>>
>>Marcia Starkey, Greenfield HC
>>
>>
>>
>>
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