Open Meeting Law Act 133 (2024) Working Group

Pursuant to Act 133 of 2024, the Secretary of State has convened the Working Group on Participation and Accessibility of Municipal Public Meetings and Elections. The Vermont Legislature has asked this Working Group to study and make recommendations to: 1) improve the accessibility of and participation in meetings of local public bodies, annual municipal meetings, and local elections; and 2) increase transparency, accountability, and trust in government. Specifically, the Working Group is charged with:

1. Recommending best practices for:
   1. running effective and inclusive meetings and maximizing participation and accessibility in electronic, hybrid, and in-person annual meetings and meetings of public bodies;
   2. the use of universal design for annual meetings and meetings of public bodies;
   3. training public bodies for compliance with the Open Meeting Law; and
   4. recording meetings of municipal public bodies and the means and timeline for posting those recordings for public access.
2. Reporting on the findings of the Secretary of State’s Civic Health Index and how to reduce barriers to participation in public service.
3. Identifying the technical assistance, equipment, and training necessary for municipalities to run effective and inclusive remote or hybrid public meetings.
4. Producing a guide for accessibility for polling and public meeting locations.
5. Studying the feasibility of using electronic platforms to support remote attendance and voting at annual meetings.
6. Analyzing voter turnout and the voting methods currently used throughout the State.
7. Investigating whether increased use of resources for participants such as child care, hearing devices, translators, transportation, food, and hybrid meetings could increase participation in local public meetings.
8. Studying other topics as determined by the Group that could improve participation and access to local public meetings.

Below you will find agendas (that contain digital access information) and minutes from our meetings. The final report for this Working Group is due in November 2025.

Agendas and Minutes

• Thursday, August 29, 2024 - Agenda
• Thursday, August 29, 2024 - Unapproved Minutes