Select Board votes not to renew CAT TV contract; meetings to be livestreamed on YouTube beginning July 23

The Select Board voted after executive session to discontinue its standing contract with CAT TV while contracting the vendor for the town’s annual March meeting and moving future regular meetings to a YouTube livestream.

What happened: After exiting executive session, Committee member (speaker 5) moved that the town "do not renew the contract with CAT TV, but we will hire them to do our March meeting, our annual meeting." The motion was seconded and carried on a board voice vote.

Public access changes: Chair and other members said future meetings will be available on the town's YouTube live channel beginning with the next regular meeting (recorded in the minutes as July 23). The board noted meetings will continue to be available via Zoom and other avenues as appropriate.

Why it matters: The decision shifts the town's public-access approach from a local CAT TV contract to a primarily online, self-managed livestream platform. Board members stated the change is intended to maintain public access while controlling recurring contract costs.

Next steps: The town will implement YouTube livestreaming for the next regular meeting and retain CAT TV for a single contracted service at the annual meeting. No additional contractual amounts or budget votes were recorded in the minutes during this session.