Most years, the Barrington financial town meeting is held in late May inside the auditorium at the high school, and plays host to a few hundred people.

Some years the crowd swells, and the venue changes.

A while back a crowded meeting was held inside the Barrington High School gymnasium, and in the early 1990s, one of the largest crowds to ever attend an FTM filed into a tent on the varsity soccer field.

Last year, town officials hosted an outdoor FTM in late-July. It was a balancing act for town officials, as they aimed to observe restrictions surrounding the pandemic and fulfill the town charter’s requirements for the annual meeting. Even before the 2020 FTM was held, some people in town called for an online financial town meeting, and those cries returned at the March 1 council meeting, joined by new pleas for a hybrid meeting and other changes to the FTM format.

After a lengthy discussion, the council voted 5-0 to draft a request for proposals (RFP) from software companies that could help bring a hybrid FTM to life — a meeting that could be held in-person and online at the same time, and still offer opportunities for resident-verification, discussions, voting, and amendments to be filed during the meeting.

Delaying the meeting

Richard Staples was elected as Barrington Town Moderator last year, replacing longtime moderator Julia Califano.

Mr. Staples, who had served as chairman to the Committee on Appropriations, told members of the town council that it appears many more people in town will receive their Covid-19 vaccinations during the next few months, leaving open the possibility that some restrictions may be lifted in the near future.

Mr. Staples said he was considering moving this year’s FTM back until late June, maybe Saturday, June 24, which would offer more time for people to be vaccinated while officials could still hold the meeting in the current fiscal year. He said he spoke with officials from the school department to get a better idea about how many people could attend an in-person FTM indoors at the high school.

We could accommodate several hundred residents in the school, Mr. Staples said.

He offered a brief description at what that meeting could look like: the auditorium, at one-third capacity, could seat about 150 people; another 100 could attend in the cafeterias; and another 100 to 150 could sit in the gymnasium. He also said that the classrooms inside the high school are all equipped with interlink technology, which means people could be spread out in classrooms throughout the building at the same time. The school also has air filtration units and windows could be opened. Hundreds of people could attend an in-person FTM at Barrington High School, Mr. Staples said.

The town moderator also said he believed an outside FTM was still an attractive option.

Barrington Town Council President Michael Carroll said state law allows the town to move the date of the FTM, adding that Mr. Staples could “gavel” the meeting open and then continue it to a future date for health and safety reasons.

Open to all?

Town officials spent time debating the merits of an online FTM versus an in-person meeting.

Council member Jacob Brier said there was not much of a difference between the monthly online council meetings and hosting an FTM virtually, except for the number of people in attendance.

Mr. Carroll said he was concerned that not all residents have computers or are tech-savvy enough to attend an online FTM. He and Barrington Town Manager Jim Cunha referenced the recent rollout of the Covid-19 vaccinations in town, where many of the older residents were not able to go online to register for a shot. Mr. Carroll also questioned whether the town might have to provide computers to each resident to ensure that the FTM is accessible to all.

Mr. Brier said the school department has many laptop devices. And Mr. Staples later said the town might need to make multiple plans so that they are ready to face whatever restrictions are in place later this spring.

Council member Annelise Conway asked if it would be possible to hold a hybrid FTM, one that could be held in-person for people who are comfortable attending and at the same time online, for those who were not comfortable. Mr. Brier later said he believed the hybrid meeting would be the best approach.

Mr. Carroll questioned whether the town might need to have volunteers available to assist people who are not tech-savvy, but still want to attend an online FTM. Mr. Brier said it was likely too early to decide on the meeting’s format, but added that officials should start to take steps to be prepared for a virtual meeting if that time comes.

A number of residents, including Lisa Lowenstein, Mariadh Thomson, Jordan Jancosek, Donna Personeus, and Ken Block, shared their support for an online or hybrid FTM. Mr. Block added that Barrington officials really need to reform the way the financial town meeting works. Ms. Personeus said she had attended many FTMs in the past but was disenfranchised last year.

Mr. Carroll said he was not aware of any other community who has an FTM like Barrington’s that has hosted an online or hybrid FTM. He said other communities — he mentioned Lexington, Mass. — have held virtual FTMs, but those towns all have a different form of financial town meetings than Barrington.

A few residents spoke in favor of an in-person FTM. Tom Rimoshytus said the town has already shown it can host an outdoor FTM. He also questioned whether the town would need to change the charter if it wanted to host a hybrid FTM.

Paul Dulchinos asked how officials would be able to verify voters in a hybrid FTM.

Eventually the council decided to gather information from numerous parties about what should be included in the RFP. The town manager said people can send their thoughts about what should be included to the town hall and he will forward it to the town solicitor.

The draft RFP is expected to be ready for review by the council’s March 22 meeting.

Meanwhile, the Committee on Appropriations recently started reviewing the proposed budgets.