Print
Share page with AddThis

June 30th Select Board Newsletter - Special Edition

Information about Town Meeting - July 11th
Posted on: July 6, 2020 - 8:25am

seal

Dear Stratham Residents,
The year 2020 will be a memorable year for many reasons.  This year’s Town Meeting to be held at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 11th at the Stratham Memorial School will be one of them!

Completing the Town Meeting is important to the governance of the Town which, among other items, authorizes an operating budget.  The Select Board and Town Moderator in consultation with the Town Clerk, Town emergency management and public health officials, and Town staff have worked to ensure an appropriate physical layout and program for this year’s Town meeting.  The Town has pursued these efforts in order to conform as best as possible to the guidance available for promoting safety.

Here are some important things to know about how Town Meeting will work and what you can do to help promote safety at the event:

  • The meeting will be held at the Stratham Memorial School in the large gym space and in two tent covered areas immediately adjacent to the building.  Seating for attendees will be in all three areas.
  • The Town Moderator and presenters will be in the gym.  Video and audio of the meeting proceedings will be available in the tents; handouts of the presentation content will also be provided. 
  • Procedures for ensuring voting, secret ballot voting (if necessary) and recognizing speakers on each article have been developed.  Anyone who wants to be heard at the Town meeting will be able to be.
  • In order to limit the length of the meeting, the Select Board and Moderator are planning to skip elements that are not critical to holding a legal Town meeting, including some ceremonial aspects.
  • As much as possible, we are prioritizing the availability of outdoor spaces for the public.  For example:
    • The Supervisors of the Checklist, who sign-in residents will be located outside and residents will be able to proceed directly to tented areas without going inside the building.
    • Portable restrooms will be available.
  • Seating for the event will be set-up prior to arrival of our residents.  We are preparing to accommodate seating consistent with needs demonstrated at past Town Meetings.
  • Seating will be laid out in the gym and tented areas with six-foot spacing between each seat and series of seats for couples and families attending together. 
  • Town staff will be visible (white shirts) to guide residents and assist with any needs as they may arise.  In addition, the Moderator will have additional assistants available to assist him with running the meeting.

What can you do to help?

  • Please wear a mask and bring hand sanitizer; masks and hand sanitizer will be available for those who need them.
  • Please bring your own pencil, to mark a ballot (if necessary).  If you forget, we will have some.
  • If you are able, please plan to arrive early so that we can spread out the number of people waiting in the sign-in line.
  • When you are seated, please stay in your seat.
  • Please cooperate with ushers, if you are first to arrive in a row, please move to the middle of the row so that people do not need to walk past you.
  • Please be patient, we are all in this together.

A few additional notes:

  • Warrant Article Content: We are in the middle of Town Meeting, the town election has been held (Articles 1-8) and this meeting is required to act on Articles 9-21.  Much has changed since the initial warrant was prepared and posted.  In particular, the Select Board is in the process of finalizing proposed amendments to the initially warned Article 9 (Appropriation for Operating Budget), Article 10 (Appropriation for Capital Improvement Plan) and Article 11 (Appropriation for Capital Reserve Funds).  These amendments are intended to reflect the uncertainty associated with an economic downturn and increased unemployment as well as the reality that six-months of the fiscal year have taken place and only six months are left.  More information about recommended adjustments for these articles, will be communicated via a Special Edition newsletter in the coming days.
  • Town Meeting Costs: You may recognize that there are costs associated with the steps outlined above to achieve a socially-distanced Town Meeting.  These costs, which are directly a result of responding to the public health emergency, are eligible for 100% reimbursement in accordance with the Municipal Relief Funding awarded to all NH municipalities from the State of NH (pass through funds from the Federal Government CARES Act).
  • Weather: The Board and the Town Moderator will monitor the weather.  Due to the use of tents and the summer weather, weather hazards may pose a different public safety challenge.  In the event the Meeting cannot be held due to weather or other factors related to the public health emergency, we will alert the public as soon as possible through this newsletter and the Town’s social media outlets.

We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding as we have all worked to respond to this unprecedented and challenging time.  If you have any questions pertaining to Town Meeting we invite you to reach out to us directly by e-mailing us through the Town website, by contacting Town Administrator David Moore at dmoore@strathamnh.gov, or by calling 603 772-7391 ext. 187.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Town of Stratham Select Board
Michael Houghton, Chair
Joe Lovejoy, Vice Chair
Allison Knab, Select Board