Liaison Guidelines/Policy

Select Board Liaison Guidelines/Policy 

Liaisons are simply a point of contact to assist the Select Board in ensuring that the lines of communication are always open and help to keep the Board informed. Select Board Liaison Assignments do not preclude the public and Board/Committee members from communicating with any member of the Select Board about a concern or issue or emailing the entire Board at select-board@townofberlin.com which is also encouraged. 

The Select Board intends that every appointed Board, Committee, or Commission with membership wholly- or partially- appointed by the Select Board will have an assigned Select  Board Liaison each year. 

Select Board Responsibilities as a Liaison:  

1. To act as a communication resource between the Select Board and its appointed Committees, Commissions, or Boards. 

2. To maintain effective working relationships between Boards, Committees, and Commissions, and the Select Board. 

3. To particularly understand and communicate to the full Select Board and Town  Administrator issues that affect budgets and other areas of concern of the Boards,  Committees, or Commissions. 

4. To attend meetings of the Boards, Committees, and Commissions. The Select Board Liaison is not expected to attend every meeting regularly, however, when attending is not possible the Liaison should establish a working relationship with the Chair and members of each assigned committee and make a point to contact the Chair of the committee when significant issues arise which may require Select Board assistance. In those instances, since  Liaisons cannot make decisions on behalf of the Select Board, the Liaison will report back to the Select Board on any request for assistance from the Board or Committee. 

5. Upon assignment, Select Board members are encouraged to introduce themselves to each of their Liaison committees and brief members on the role and purpose of the Liaison position, and distribute these guidelines to the Chair and each of the members. 

6. The Liaison is responsible for communicating relevant information and actions by the Select Board to their assigned committees. They are also responsible for reporting back to the Select Board on any developments, information, and actions taken by their assigned committees relevant to the work of the Select Board. 

Boards, Committees, and Commissions Responsibilities under these Guidelines: 

1. The Chair will inform the Liaison of any significant issues under current or potential discussion that is relevant to the roles and responsibilities of the Select Board or may require future action of the Select Board. 

2. The Chair will notify the Liaison with as much advance notice as possible (to ensure attendance) when he or she is needed to attend a meeting.

3. The Chair can request the Liaison for a joint meeting with the Select Board  when the committee determines that an issue requires: 

• The action of the Select Board 

• Direction from the Select Board 

• Specific information or guidance to be provided by the Select Board on an issue under the purview of the committee board or commission. 

On the agenda of each posted Select Board meeting “Liaison Reports” will be added to accommodate under this heading: Board Questions and Comments/Liaison Reports. Select Board members may bring up matters of concern for brief discussion and possible later placement on the agenda of a scheduled meeting if permitted under the Open Meeting Law. 

*Per BoS/TA Act - TA attends Capital Planning Committee and Personnel Committee meetings.  TA is a non-voting member of TSAC and attends all meetings 

Approved by Select Board 2-16-2021