The week in government

Here are the posted open, public Southborough committee and board meetings for this week* along with my selected highlights from the agendas.

As always, be aware that changes to the meeting schedule (and agendas) are known to happen throughout the week. (Scroll down for details on any meetings that popped up last week after last Monday’s post.) For an updated list of meetings, visit the Town website.

These days, most (but not all) meetings, can be participated in, watched live, and replayed from home.)**

Monday, May 13, 2024

• Personnel Board Meeting, 9:00 am (agenda, video) Agenda Highlights: Performance Evaluation Memo; Select Board Memo on Transfer of Funds; Salary Grid Implementation Memos; Status of Tuition Reimbursement Policy and Employee Training; Job Descriptions for several positions in Departments of Health. Fincance, Public Safety, Police & Fire, and Recreation
  • Board of Health Meeting, 9:00 am @ Personnel Board Meeting (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Joint Meeting with Personnel Board on Job Descriptions and Grading for Health Director
    and Health Agent

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

• Capital Improvement and Planning Committee Meeting, 9:00 am @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Capital requests for Town House Lighting protection system and Fire Ladder Truck; Update on Tender & Ambulance acquisition
• Southborough School Committee Meeting, 12:00 pm @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Election of Officers and Superintendency Union #3 Members; Neary Building Committee Educational Plan Vote
• Economic Development Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm @ Southborough Senior Center (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Briefs on Business-related data and MTC Community Satisfaction Survey, Trottier Civics Student Proposal, MBTA Communities, Affordable Housing, One Stop grant EOI and app update; Discussions on budget status, EDC recruitment, and Master Plan Implementation Goals
• Regional School Committee  Meeting, 6:30 pm @ Algonquin Regional High School Library (agenda with materials) Agenda Highlights: Presentations on Applied Arts Dept and Social Emotional Learning; Appoint District Treasurer & Asst Treasurer; For next school year – Program of Studies, Graduation Date, and Subcommittee & Liaison Assignments; Updates on Gonkplex and Northborough Town Meeting
• Tricentennial Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm @ Public Safety Facility Training Room and zoom (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Future Planning; Branding; Update on 501(c)3; Updated survey results; Future subcommittees; One Stop Grant application status

Thursday, May 16, 2024

• Southborough Housing Authority Meeting, 5:30 pm @ 49 Boston Road (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Reminder of Annual Plan FY25 Public Hearing; Resident Feedback Meeting
• Neary School Building Committee Meeting, 7:30 pm @ zoom only (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Review and potential vote on Preliminary Design Program submissions to MSBA (includes cost estimate discussion)

Friday, May 17, 2024

• Council on Aging Meeting, 11:30 am @ Southborough Senior Center (agenda) Agenda Highlights: Survey update & next steps; furniture purchase; Budgeting for ’25 formula grant money; Senior Center Director’s review; Assessment Update; ideas for Tricentennial; Rebranding; Addition soft opening; Tax work off update; upcoming programs; Issues with fuel assistance program

Looking Back:

Below are meetings from last week that were posted after I ran last week’s list:

Thursday, May 9, 2024

• Trottier School Council Meeting, 2:30 pm, Agenda Highlights: School Culture Update; Genocide Presenter – 7th Grade; ELA Curriculum Review

*I don’t list meetings that are only closed Executive Sessions unless the agenda indicates the possibility of some action in an open public session at the opening or closing of the meeting.

**Details on watching meetings remotely:

• Town Committee/Board Meetings:
  • If in-person meetings don’t also advertise a zoom option, assume that it won’t be broadcast or captured on video.
  • To remotely participate in meetings that allow zoom, click here.
  • To live stream (or view later) remote or hybrid meetings (even those covered by Southborough Access Media) over the internet, use the Town’s YouTube Channel for Remote Meetings. (The meetings covered by SAM can also be streamed on their website here, and eventually on SAM’s YouTube Channel.)
  • Cable Access — Southborough Access Media broadcasts the regular evening meetings for the Select Board, Planning Board, and Zoning Board of Appeals that take place in the Town House Hearing Room. (Those meetings will still allow zoom participation.) View SAM’s live and replayed broadcasts via their Government cable access channel (Verizon-37 and Charter-194).
• School Committee Meetings:
  • Subcommittee meetings and some special meetings are only available to attend/view live (in person or by “webinar”) with no later rebroadcast.
  • Regular Southborough School Committee meetings are generally broadcast live by Southborough Access Media here and on Verizon-37 and Charter-192. (Video replays are also usually made available through their YouTube channel within a couple of days.)
  • Regular Regional School Committee meetings (or Combined meetings based at Algonquin) are live broadcast by Northborough Cable Access here and on Southborough’s Education Channel (Verizon-29 and Charter-194). The meetings are also eventually rebroadcast and available through NCAT’s VideoOnDemand player and YouTube channel (though that can take several days).