Yes. At 13:10, the board chair states, "there really won't be any further discussion other than listening to what you have to say tonight". This was said in the context of the discussion regarding the Berkshire Concrete zoning issue.
This video records a Dalton Select Board meeting held on March 17, 2025. The primary focus is on budget matters and the town meeting warrant, but the meeting also includes public comment periods concerning a proposed zoning change for a Berkshire Concrete parcel and the formation of a Town Manager screening committee. Significant discussion surrounds public concerns about sand blowing from the Berkshire Concrete site onto neighboring properties.
Following the initial statement at 13:10 indicating that there wouldn't be further discussion beyond listening to public comments on Berkshire Concrete, the board did continue to engage in discussion about the matter. This included further comments from audience members, responses from board members, and clarification from the town manager and other officials regarding the roles of different boards and agencies (Planning Board, Board of Health, Zoning Enforcement Officer) in addressing the situation. The board's commitment to listening to public comment remained, but the discussion extended beyond simply listening to comments to include detailed explanations and procedural discussions relating to the problem and possible solutions.
The transcript does not contain a readily apparent, consistent definition of "events similar to 2:27:10". The timestamp 2:27:10 refers to a specific point in the discussion where board members are making individual remarks about various matters, and it's part of a longer segment (approximately 2:27:10 - 2:30:26) where several board members make individual statements, and some audience members respond to them.
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There isn't a single instance in the transcript where an audience member directly responds to a board member's statement and is explicitly told, "this is not the time for audience comments". However, the board chair repeatedly guides the discussion to emphasize that certain agenda items are not the appropriate time for broad public discussion, and that the proper channels for such discussion are either the public comment periods or the relevant board meetings (Planning Board, etc.).
The closest examples are the numerous occasions where the chair redirects or limits discussion initiated by audience members during the Berkshire Concrete matter. For example, the chair frequently restates that the Select Board doesn't have the authority to change zoning, steering the conversation back toward the appropriate processes and the upcoming Planning Board meeting. These actions effectively limit the discussion but don't use the exact phrasing "this is not the time for audience comments". The chair manages the flow of discussion implicitly by reminding everyone of the established processes and the respective authorities of the different boards.
The transcript doesn't contain instances where an audience member directly responds to a board member and is explicitly told, "This is the time for audience comments," The board chair frequently guides the discussion to manage the flow of information. The chair's interventions are primarily to remind the audience and board members of the proper procedures for public participation, the authority of different boards, and the need to remain focused on the current agenda item. The chair's actions implicitly manage when the audience can and cannot comment, but the exact phrase "This is the time for audience comments" is not used to grant permission for audience members to speak. Instead, implicit permission is given during the formal public comment periods. During other times, the discussion is steered back on track by procedural reminders.
As explained previously, the transcript does not contain instances where an audience member directly responds to a board member's statement and is explicitly told, "This is the time for audience comments" or a similar phrase granting permission to speak. The chair's interventions manage the flow of conversation, primarily through procedural reminders, implicit permission during the designated public comment periods, and redirection of discussion when it strays from the proper channels. There is no situation where the chair explicitly says "This is the time for audience comments" in response to an audience member speaking out of turn. The closest examples are numerous instances where the chair redirects discussion regarding Berkshire Concrete back toward the proper channels (Planning Board meeting) which implicitly limits the time for audience comments outside those formal periods. Providing a list of all those instances would be essentially providing a large portion of the transcript related to the Berkshire Concrete discussion.
