New Shoreham Town Council
Budget Work Session
Monday, June 8, 2020
6:00 PM
The New Shoreham Town Council will meet via telecommunication pursuant to
State of Rhode Island Executive Order 20-25 dated April 15, 2020.
Agenda
1. Review of Fiscal Year 202 Budget as Presented
2. Discussion of FY21 budget revisions including revenue reductions, strategies for aligning revenue and expense
3. Department level review: Administration, Finance, Fire/Rescue/EM, Police, Highways, Harbors, Buildings, Recreation, GIS/Technology, Boards and Commissions; Capital Improvement Program; Debt Service
| Zoom Log-In 877 853 5247 US Toll-free 888 788 0099 US Toll-free 833 548 0276 US Toll-free Meeting ID: 929 5659 7763 Password: 759366 If you speaking, register with the Town Clerk by end of business Friday; and dial into the meeting by 5:30. Thank you! |
To ensure the broadest and most stable means of public engagement in budget work sessions and the public hearing, public comment is encouraged through telephonic hand- raising via the Zoom platform.
This builds on the existing practice of live streaming Town Council meetings via Zoom with video participation by Council members and other key participants (i.e., Town Manager) and telephonic listening by the public. The public will now also, during public comment sections of meeting(s), be able to use the *9 function to raise their hand and be recognized by the meeting chair to make questions or comments by telephone.
Public Participation Methods
Listening: Members of the public will be able to listen to the work sessions by using their telephone keypad to dial in to the Zoom meeting using the information provided on the agenda.
Speaking: Members of the public who wish to offer comment to the Town Council during the budget (work session and/or hearing) are asked to register in advance of the meeting. This will facilitate calling on the individuals who wish to speak. (As each registered caller is admitted to the meeting, a host will ‘name’ them, to facilitate them being called on by the First Warden). Register by emailing townclerk@new-shoreham.com your name, the number of the phone you will be dialing from and your email. Use “May 8 Budget Participant” in the subject line. Public participation instructions will be published at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.
During the Public Comment section(s) of the meeting or public hearing, members of the public may raise their “virtual” hand by pressing *9 on their telephone. The First Warden (and/or host/co-host) will recognize the individual by name and then unmute their phone. Once the speaker is done, their phone will be muted again.
All members of the public are asked to keep their phones muted unless or until called upon to speak. Members of the public will be recognized in turn, and everyone may speak once on a subject.
In Writing: Members of the public who wish to offer public comment in advance of or during the Town Council during the budget (work session and/or hearing) may also write a letter or email the Town Clerk (or other designated host) with comments or questions according to meeting instructions issued 48 hours in advance of the meeting. Written comments should be concise and clear.
This may not be the most cutting-edge method of participation but is one of the most stable, providing reliable and comparable access to the broadest number of participants, with additional time built into the process to ‘catch’ anyone who may have experienced connectivity or other challenges and been unable to voice their perspective.
Written guidelines for participation and all presentation materials should be released at least 48 hours prior to the meeting and include sequencing for public comments (i.e. advanced written comments first, verbal comments via raise hand next, then real time emails in the order received).
Budget Work Session
The primary focus of the work sessions will be on dialogue between the Town Council, Town Manager, Finance Director and department or community organization representatives.
Department heads and organization representatives will participate telephonically and be unmuted by hosts as necessary when their department is being discussed. One representative each of the Community Support organizations is preferred.
The Council may wish to set aside certain times during the work sessions for public questions/comments. Options for these times include:
· A pause for public dialogue after each departmental discussion
· A time at the end of each work session for public engagement
· Consolidating public comments and questions for consideration at the Public Hearing