Throughout the summer, several of Wellesley’s elected and appointed bodies, including the Select Board, Planning Board, Natural Resource Commission and Climate Action Committee, held meetings known as “retreats.” Some elected bodies hold retreats at other times of year as well.

The summer meetings are unique in that each agenda specifically mentions a “workplan” or “annual goals and initiatives” for the 2027 Fiscal Year. So, what exactly does this mean?

Corey Testa, Wellesley’s assistant executive director, wrote in an email to The Swellesley Report that the purpose of a Select Board retreat, specifically, is explained in Section VII of the Select Board Handbook.

According to the handbook, the Select Board, along with the town’s executive director and assistant executive director, sets goals for the coming fiscal year by developing a workplan based on the Board’s expected priorities.

A workplan consists of objectives and an estimated timeline for Board members and staff, the handbook states. Board members are also assigned to certain projects, and the Chair, in consultation with the vice chair, executive director, and assistant executive director, appoints Board members as liaisons for specific committees.

“The Board sets goals that can influence the community for many years,” the handbook states. “In doing so, the Board must consider short-term and long-term needs as well as the future financial and other implications of those decisions.”

Every June, before the fiscal year changes on July 1, the incoming Chair leads an annual retreat in collaboration with the Board, executive director and assistant executive director. However, the Chair can choose to review or update the workplan at any retreat or working meeting during the year, the handbook states.

While all the boards and committees that held retreats this summer did so primarily for goal setting, the agendas have some distinctions. For example, the Planning Board’s retreat on Aug. 6 included discussions regarding potential future development, planning area studies and a “comprehensive plan.”

The agenda for the Select Board’s most recent retreat also notably states that the July 22 meeting was a “working meeting,” meaning it was open to the public but no public comments would be taken.

The Select Board creates minutes for all open meetings and executive sessions, which includes retreats, according to its “Minutes Policy.” However, retreats are exempt from being recorded by Wellesley Media, a nonprofit digital media organization that provides pubic access to civic matters, according to the Select Board’s “Recording of Meetings” regulations.

These regulations fulfill Town Bylaw 2.9, which acts in accordance with Massachusetts’ Open Meeting Law.

The bylaw states, “The Select Board shall promulgate regulations pertaining to livestreaming and recorded video of meetings of elected and appointed public bodies; provided, however, that the regulations so adopted shall not infringe on an individual’s right to make a video or audio recording of an open session of a meeting of a public body …”

As Wellesley’s local government and its many boards and committees progress through the 2027 Fiscal Year, the plans and objectives established during their retreats pave the way for future policy decisions.

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