Selectmen's Meeting Procedures

Regular meetings of the Board of Selectmen shall be held the second and fourth Monday of each month at the Town Office Building to convene at 7:00 PM unless rescheduled by a vote of the board due to a holiday, or unforeseen circumstances.

Special meetings may be called by the Chairman or by a majority of the board at any time. In either case, 24 hours notice shall be given to each member, except in emergencies

Written notice of all meetings shall be properly posted as required in RSA 91A:2 II. In emergencies, all efforts will be made to post a written notice of the emergency meeting with as much notice as possible.

Requests to meet with the board and/or to be included on the agenda or during Public Comment shall be in writing, stating the purpose and as much information as possible to permit board review in advance of the meeting. Requests must be received in the Selectmen’s office by the Wednesday prior to the meeting on the following Monday.

The Public Comment segment is to allow visitors to address any town issue, except personnel matters. Objective criticism of town operations and programs are encouraged, but in public session with no notice of the matter, the board will not permit complaints directed at staff or volunteers. Such matters may be addressed at a scheduled session that will be public or non-public at the request of the person being criticized, and in their presence if they so desire. (per RSA 91 A:3 IIC.)

During the Public Comment portion of the meeting, petitioners will be limited to a five-minute presentation, unless permission to speak for a longer period is requested and granted by majority vote of the board.

In cases where a member of the public wishes to speak on a matter, the chairman may request said party to rise and to be recognized, state their name, place of residence and purpose for addressing the board.

No person shall address a public meeting of the Board without leave of the presiding officer per RSA 91-A:2. At such meeting all persons in the audience shall, at the request of such presiding officer, be silent. If after warning from the presiding officer, said person persists in disorderly behavior, said officer may order the person to withdraw from the meeting, and, if the person does not withdraw, said officer may order a police officer or other appropriate authority to remove and/or confine the person in some convenient place until the meeting is adjourned.

The posting of minutes both public and non-public shall be consistent with the requirements of RSA 91A:2 and 91A:3.

Approved by the Hampstead Board of Selectmen on June 14, 2010.