Public Comment at Board of Health Meeting

PUBLIC COMMENT AT BOARD OF HEALTH MEETINGS

All regular and special meetings of the Board of Health will be open to the public. Executive sessions will be held only as prescribed by the Statutes of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

The Board of Health welcomes members of the public to attend its meetings so that they may become better acquainted with the work of the Board. In addition, the Board welcomes comments from the public.

To facilitate public comment and to ensure the ability of the Board to conduct business in an orderly manner, the following rules and procedures are adopted:

  1. Individuals or group representatives will be invited to address the Board during a designated ‘Public Comment’ time on the Agenda. The Chair shall determine the length of the public participation segment.
  2. Speakers will state their names and complete address for the record.
  3. Speakers will be allowed two minutes to present their material. The presiding Chair may permit extension of this time limit.
  4. Topics for comment must be limited to those items listed on the Board of Health meeting Agenda for that meeting.
  5. All remarks will be addressed through the Chair of the meeting.
  6. Speakers may offer such objective criticisms of the Board of Health policies or areas of work as concern them, but in public session the Board will not hear complaints about Health Department personnel. Under most circumstances, administrative channels are the proper means for disposition of legitimate complaints involving personnel.
  7. Written comments may be presented to the Board and must be received by noon of the day preceding the meeting for the Board members’ review and consideration at an appropriate time.

Reference: Mass. Gen. Laws, Chapter 30A: Section 20 (f). Regulation of participation by public in open meetings: “No person shall address a meeting of a public body without permission of the chair, and all persons shall, at the request of the chair, be silent. No person shall disrupt the proceedings of a meeting of a public body. If, after clear warning from the chair, a person continues to disrupt the proceedings, the chair may order the person to withdraw from the meeting and if the person does not withdraw, the chair may authorize a constable or other officer to remove the person from the meeting.”

 

ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF HEALTH: APRIL 12, 2022