CommitteeNatick

Hybrid Town Meeting Committee

Track committee activity, current roster, and published meeting coverage for Hybrid Town Meeting Committee in Natick.

0 active membersNext meeting Aug 18, 2026Last meeting Aug 4, 202621 summaries in 30d

Summaries

Active roster

Latest activity

Aug 15, 2026

Municipality

Natick

Latest coverage

Hybrid Town Meeting Committee meeting summary

Published Aug 15, 2026

Related summaries

Published meeting coverage connected to Hybrid Town Meeting Committee.

Briefing

Jul 15, 2026

Hybrid Town Meeting Plan Moves Forward

The committee continued revising its report on hybrid Town Meeting practices, including remote attendance, secure voting, technology, security, and quorum monitoring. Members agreed that several recommendations need Town Counsel review and that draft Town Meeting articles, a home rule petition, and a resolution will be revised for future discussion.

1 min readMunicipal coverage

Briefing

Jul 9, 2026

Hybrid Town Meeting report moves forward

A motion to set aside consideration of a public forum failed, so the committee may continue evaluating outreach options while drafting its report. The committee is working toward a finalized report by September 15 and plans to seek Town Counsel review.

2 min readMunicipal coverage

Briefing

Jun 25, 2026

Hybrid Town Meeting Committee Work Continues

The committee continued developing its report on hybrid Town Meeting practices and said AI-generated transcripts and summaries should be included with meeting postings. It scheduled follow-up meetings for July 9 and July 15.

1 min readMunicipal coverage

Briefing

Jun 18, 2026

Hybrid meeting rules remain under development

The committee continued developing standards for fair and orderly hybrid Town Meetings but did not settle requirements for cameras, chat, remote participation limits, training, quorum verification, or remote-member removal.

1 min readMunicipal coverage

Briefing

Jun 11, 2026

Committee sets hybrid meeting priorities

The committee unanimously elected Grace Keeney as chair and elected Patricia DeMeo as vice chair, with DeMeo abstaining. Members then discussed priorities for developing recommendations on hybrid Town Meeting practices and scheduled meetings for June 18, June 25, and July 9.

1 min readMunicipal coverage

Briefing

May 19, 2026

Hybrid Town Meeting Rules Remain Under Review

The committee kept its draft report and hybrid Town Meeting rules under review, requesting member feedback before discussing the report’s structure, recommendations, appendices, and survey at its next meeting.

1 min readMunicipal coverage

Briefing

Apr 29, 2026

Committee advances hybrid Town Meeting report

The committee agreed its recommendation report will incorporate survey findings, outline steps needed to deliver hybrid Town Meeting participation, and include order-of-magnitude costs. A vendor presentation described annual licenses at $15 per user and clickers at $65 each; the minutes state that no Massachusetts towns currently run hybrid Town Meetings.

1 min readMunicipal coverage

Briefing

Apr 15, 2026

Committee Refines Town Meeting Presentation

The committee voted 5-4 to include an edited survey slide in its Town Meeting presentation, describing the fieldwork but withholding findings because members said it was premature to share them.

1 min readMunicipal coverage

Briefing

Apr 8, 2026

Hybrid participation survey shows precinct differences

Supplemental survey analysis reported 77% overall support for hybrid participation and 9% opposition, but preferences varied by precinct; 52% to 59% of residents in Precincts 2, 7, 8, and 9 said a remote option would make them more likely to run for Town Meeting.

1 min readMunicipal coverage

Briefing

Mar 25, 2026

Survey Shows Support for Hybrid Town Meeting

The committee reviewed survey results showing that 77% of responding non-Town Meeting residents support hybrid participation, while 56% of responding Town Meeting members said a remote option would make them more likely to serve or continue serving. The committee did not adopt a final hybrid meeting recommendation.

2 min readMunicipal coverage

Briefing

Mar 18, 2026

Hybrid Town Meeting Committee Meeting Summary

The committee unanimously agreed to review vendor responses about hybrid meeting technology and identify additional questions before a future discussion, possibly on April 22. Members also directed staff to provide both the raw survey data and a more digestible summary of 356 responses.

1 min readMunicipal coverage

Briefing

Mar 11, 2026

Hybrid Town Meeting Work Extended

The committee unanimously approved plans to request an extension of its work to Fall 2026 Town Meeting and authorized members to draft motions supporting that request. Members also approved a presentation with minor changes and reported 287 survey respondents.

1 min readMunicipal coverage

Briefing

Feb 26, 2026

Committee Observed Planning Meeting

The committee observed a Town of Plymouth hybrid Town Meeting planning meeting but was not called to order and took no action.

1 min readMunicipal coverage

Briefing

Feb 25, 2026

Committee Approves Town Meeting Survey

The committee voted 5-2 to proceed with an amended survey of Town Meeting members, staff, and Natick residents. The survey will use one ungated questionnaire with branching questions for different respondent groups.

1 min readMunicipal coverage

Briefing

Feb 18, 2026

Hybrid Town Meeting Options Reviewed

The committee reviewed a potential hybrid Town Meeting voting system and learned it could cost about 35% more than Natick’s current arrangement, require additional staff and preparation time, and need backup systems addressed in a future request for proposals.

1 min readMunicipal coverage

Briefing

Feb 11, 2026

Hybrid Town Meeting Planning Continues

The committee continued planning for a hybrid Town Meeting and reviewed Arlington’s experience, where meetings typically run 8–9 nights and remote participation was reported to slow proceedings.

1 min readMunicipal coverage

Briefing

Feb 5, 2026

Hybrid Town Meeting Planning Update

The committee reviewed hybrid Town Meeting practices, including Plymouth’s experience with remote participation, and outlined a planning timeline leading to the April 28 Town Meeting.

1 min readMunicipal coverage

Briefing

Jan 28, 2026

Committee reviews hybrid Town Meeting model

An interview on Brookline’s hybrid Town Meeting found that the system uses Zoom, preconfigured tablets, and upgraded auditorium Wi-Fi; startup costs were about $70,000, mostly for tablets, while ongoing costs are driven primarily by staff and hardware.

1 min readMunicipal coverage

Briefing

Jan 22, 2026

Hybrid Town Meeting Planning Summary

Town clerks told the committee that a hybrid Town Meeting would require substantially more staff, funding, technology, and standardized procedures. The discussion also identified challenges monitoring quorum and ensuring online and in-person participants have equal opportunities to speak.

2 min readMunicipal coverage

Briefing

Jan 15, 2026

Hybrid Town Meeting Committee meeting summary

Members discussed how a hybrid Town Meeting could balance equitable access, fiscal responsibility, decorum, motion submission, and moderator support. The minutes do not record a decision selecting a hybrid model or setting implementation requirements.

1 min readMunicipal coverage

Briefing

Jan 7, 2026

Hybrid Town Meeting Committee meeting summary

The committee reviewed lessons from prior remote and hybrid Town Meetings, including motion handling, technical support, recording requirements, and moderator workload. It also approved the December 17, 2025, meeting minutes by a 6-0 vote.

1 min readMunicipal coverage