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HomeMy Public PortalAboutdraft Operating ProtocolsBCAG Draft Operating Protocols 1 Brewster Coastal Advisory Group DRAFT Operating Protocols Overview The Town of Brewster is developing a Coastal Adaptation Strategy to guide future decisions regarding Brewster’s coastal areas, in light of future coastal change, sea level rise, and erosion. In order to maximize the wisdom, suitability, and long-term value of the strategy, Brewster is engaging residents and stakeholders in a public process – incorporating vulnerability and risk information as well as public needs and concerns – to recommend and build consensus around the Coastal Adaptation Strategy. To this end, the Town has engaged the Consensus Building Institute to convene the Brewster Coastal Advisory Group (BCAG). Purpose The purpose of Brewster Coastal Advisory Group (BCAG) is to guide the development of the Town’s Coastal Adaptation Strategy, ensuring that the final strategy is based on sound science and grounded in community values and interests. Working with the technical team and the public, the group will guide technical assessments and information gathering, support broad public involvement, explore and evaluate potential management strategies, and seek consensus recommendations for a Coastal Adaptation Strategy that that will move the community toward resilience to climate change and set a framework for future planning and actions impacting Brewster’s coast. Participation a) The BCAG is designed to collectively represent the wide range of interests, views, and experiences of Brewster residents and businesses, including the following categories and demographics: • Members of the Coastal Committee • Representatives of Coastal Neighborhoods • Representatives of Non-coastal neighborhoods • Organizations or Institutions with Coastal Properties • Hospitality Industry (rentals, hotels) • Real Estate sales / development industry • Other Businesses • Commercial Aquaculture/Shellfishing • Non-commercial Shellfishing Permit Holders • Senior Citizens • Families with young children • People with mobility concerns b) Participants should also meet the following criteria: • Capacity to represent and articulate the diverse range of interests and concerns of the constituencies you would represent, seek input from constituents, and keep them informed about the discussions and proceedings of the advisory group. BCAG Draft Operating Protocols 2 • Willingness and interest in attending all meetings and participating actively in discussions. • Willingness to engage in respectful and constructive dialogue with other participants, and seek creative options that respond to the interests of your own as well as other viewpoints. c) Interested individuals were asked to apply to participate in the BCAG as a representative of one or more of the above categories. Advisory group members were selected by the facilitators and then appointed to the BCAG by the Brewster Board of Selectmen. The BCAG is an official Town body, and all members of the Advisory Group are subject to state and town regulations governing such town bodies. All members must be sworn in by the Town of Brewster. d) Some members have been appointed as alternates. In the absence of the primary member, an alternate may serve as a representative for that member, and assume all the rights and responsibilities of the absent member. Alternates will be expected to keep up to date on all deliberations and fill in without disruption. Liaisons: a) A second category of participants in the Advisory Group is liaisons from other relevant town commissions and boards, as well as state partners. b) The role of liaisons is to actively participate in discussions and deliberations on topics that are relevant to their expertise, interests, and responsibilities. Liaisons are also charged with bringing ideas and concerns of their committee or board to Advisory Group discussions and information their fellow committee/board members about Advisory Group deliberations. However, liaisons will not be asked to weigh in on agreement- seeking consensus recommendations. c) The following entities have invited to appoint a liaison. • Board of Selectmen • All Citizens Access Committee • Bikeways/Pathways • Conservation Commission • Open Space Committee • Planning Board • Finance Committee • DCR/Nickerson State Park • Council on Aging • Dog Park Development Committee • Natural Resources Department • Brewster Conservation Commission BCAG Draft Operating Protocols 3 Technical and Expert Advisors: a) The Advisory Group will work closely with the technical team. Technical and scientific information will be provided by the Horsley Witten Group, the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, and the Center for Coastal Studies. The technical team will help residents and the town to understand 1) the nature and magnitude of climate variability and change; 2) the capital and natural resources that will be exposed to and impacted by climate change; and 3) the current capacity of the Town and of our coastal resources to adapt to and cope with changing conditions. b) The Advisory Group will also draw on the knowledge and substantive expertise, as needed, by staff of Town Departments, including Natural Resources, Planning, DPW, Health, Conservation, Finance, etc. The Advisory Group will also review and incorporate the results of the community beach access survey, as well as other information that the group finds salient. Decision Making a) The Advisory Group, to the extent possible, will operate by consensus, which is defined as unanimous concurrence of the primary representatives, or in the absence of a primary, his or her alternate. Members may also “abstain,” or stand aside. Abstaining means not offering consent or endorsement, but also not blocking an agreement. Abstaining members will not be counted in determining if consensus has been reached. b) If a representative disagrees with a proposal, he or she should make every effort to offer an alternative satisfactory to all members. Members should not block or withhold consensus unless they have serious objections to the proposal, and can articulate the reasons for those objections. Consent means that members can accept, even if reluctantly, the package that emerges. The goal of the Advisory Group is to reach consensus, recognizing that not all members will be equally satisfied with the outcome. c) On those issues or topics where consensus cannot be reached, the Panel will offer a range of possible options, will delineate the advantages and disadvantages of these options, and will explain the members’ differences clearly, accurately, and fairly. d) Liaisons will participate actively in the deliberations, explain and advocate based on their knowledge and expertise, seek creative solutions, participate in drafting alternatives and other written documents, as needed, and provide background information. However, they will not take part in the final consensus on recommendations. Advisory Group Meetings a) All meetings will be conducted in accordance with Massachusetts Open Meeting Law. They will be open to the public and posted in advance according to Town procedures. Discussion at the meetings will conducted primarily by members of the Advisory Group. BCAG Draft Operating Protocols 4 There will be a public comment period at least once during each meeting. Time allowed for public comment will be limited to ensure that other meeting topics can be covered. b) In order to achieve our objectives in the allotted time, the facilitators and Advisory Group may communicate between meetings to follow up and update on action items, use internet polling, email, and other technology to collect and disseminate information and input, and otherwise move the process forward, within the constraints of Open Meeting Law. No deliberation, decisions, or agreements will be made outside of Panel meetings. c) Meeting summaries of Advisory Group meetings will be prepared by the facilitators and, after review and approval by the Panel, will be made available to the public. The summaries will identify key points of discussion, action items, points of tentative agreement and next steps, and will generally be written without attribution. The summaries are not intended to be transcripts or detailed meeting minutes, but summaries of key points, issues, and ideas. Safeguards and Ground Rules for Participation a) Participants commit to the principles of decency, civility, and tolerance. Each person will be respectful, and refrain from making personal attacks, name calling, distributing personal or inaccurate information about other participants, and other such negative behaviors. a) Participants will not attribute statements to others involved, seek to present or represent the views or position of other members or alternates, nor attempt to speak on behalf of the group as a whole in or to the media. “Media” for these purposes includes the press, television, radio, websites, blogs, social media applications or sites, and any other public information distribution mechanism. Advisory Group members will abide by these ground rules in all communications during the process in and out of Panel meetings. b) Members on the Advisory Group also agree to the following. • Represent their interests and concerns and those of their constituents as accurately and thoroughly as possible, and work to ensure that any recommendations developed by the group meet the needs of the Town as a whole. • Arrive at the meetings prepared to discuss the issues on the agenda, having reviewed the documents distributed in advance. • Be constructive. Strive throughout the process to bridge gaps in understanding, to seek resolution of differences, and to pursue the goal of achieving consensus on the content of the potential alternatives under discussion. • Only one person will speak at a time and no one will interrupt when another person is speaking. BCAG Draft Operating Protocols 5 • Each person will make every effort to stay on track with the agenda, and avoid grandstanding and digressions. • Make a good faith effort to participate in all scheduled meetings or activities. Facilitation: a) Stacie Smith and Eric Roberts of the Consensus Building Institute will serve as facilitators of the Panel’s process. b) The facilitators have no decision-making authority and cannot impose any solution, settlement, or agreement among any or all of the parties. They will abide by the Ethical Standards of the Association of Conflict Resolution. In part, these standards require that: “The neutral must maintain impartiality toward all parties. Impartiality means freedom from favoritism or bias either by word or by action and a commitment to serve all parties as opposed to a single party.” c) Facilitators will be responsible for helping to ensure that the process runs smoothly, developing draft meeting agendas, preparing and distributing draft and final summaries, generating draft agreements, and helping the parties resolve their differences and achieve consensus, to the extent possible, on the issues to be addressed by the Advisory Group. They may use any number of techniques to help ensure that everyone has the opportunity to speak, that comments are kept to a reasonable length of time, and that subjects under discussion are provided sufficient time and focus for progress. The facilitator will be responsible for implementing the agenda and keeping participants on track. d) For purposes of complying with Open Meeting Law, the facilitators may designate one or more Chairs. e) The facilitators will be available to consult confidentially with participants during or between meetings. Facilitators, if asked, are required to hold confidences even if that means withholding information that the facilitators would prefer to be made available to the full group. Public Outreach and Engagement: a) Advisory Group meetings will be filmed and televised by Cable Access TV and footage will be made available to the public subsequent to each meeting. b) Advisory Group members are also expected to help design, prepare for, and guide public meetings and the Charrette process, to help maximize participation and involvement in the planning process. c) The facilitators will post all meeting materials on a designated webpage located at http://www.cbuilding.org/project/brewstercoast, to allow clear and easy citizen access.