Committee outlines communications push: coffee‑and‑conversation, summaries, student involvement

The finance committee spent significant time on Nov. 20 discussing communications and public engagement strategies ahead of the upcoming budget season.

Members proposed a mix of channels — a one‑page meeting snapshot, short (one‑minute) video recaps, printed materials at the library and senior center, and door‑to‑door options — to reach different parts of the community. Several committee members suggested recruiting students (for example, capstone project participants) to produce meeting recaps or short videos; David Russo volunteered to identify students or someone to take notes at the planned 'coffee and conversation' session.

The committee agreed to hold a coffee‑and‑conversation session ahead of the Dec. 18 finance meeting (timing discussed between 5:00 and 5:30 p.m.) and asked staff to plan a short summary and decide where to post it (selectmen, Board of Education pages and the town Facebook page were mentioned). Members also discussed a modest budget allocation to cover basic advertising/printing costs and recommended scoping the work before requesting larger funds during the budget cycle.

The committee emphasized that communications prior to public hearings should be explanatory rather than advocacy and that outreach should aim to increase informed participation in budget decisions.