How to find meeting agendas on the new tyngsboroughma.gov

On February 12th, the Town of Tyngsborough launched the newest version of tyngsboroughma.gov. Over the next several weeks, as residents and community members get familiar with the new site, we'll be posting helpful tips on finding commonly sought after items on the new website. If you have a suggestion for a future tutorial post, please let us know by emailing tech@tyngsboroughma.gov. As always, if you're in a pinch and having a hard time navigating the website, please contact the Town Manager's Office at 978-649-2300 x100.

Under Massachusetts law, anytime a public board or committee hosts a meeting, they must provide at least 48 hour notice by posting a meeting agenda. In Tyngsborough, those agendas are posted online and with the Town Clerk's Office for physical viewing at Town Hall right at the main entrance. While agenda's might look different depending on the committee, they provided important information about the subject of the meeting, where it will take place, and when. Here's how to find meeting agenda's on the new tyngsboroughma.gov.

1) On the homepage (tyngsboroughma.gov), scroll down to view the calendar which will appear on the left-hand side of the screen. This module will show a list of upcoming meetings next to the calendar image. If you see the meeting you're looking for in that list, simply click "read on..." below the meeting you're interested in. If you don't, you can click on the date of the meeting if you know it, or select "view all events" on the bottom of the calendar.

2) If you utilize the "view all events" option, you can now filter the calendar by a date range or use the "select a calendar" option to pick the board or committee you're looking for. Either way, once you've found the meeting you're interested in, simply click "more details".

Whether you selected "read on..." from the home page or "more details" after searching in the calendar, you'll see the following screen when you select the meeting.

3) Once you see the screen above, you'll want to navigate to the "Download Agenda" option on the top right. You'll notice that on this screen you can see the meeting name, the date, the time, and the location. Additionally, the new website allows you to view the location as a map if you're not familiar with the area. When you've clicked "download agenda" you'll see the screen below.

4) When you see the screen above, you've landed in the final place for an agenda. You will see that you can see the date and time that the meeting was posted (to show compliance with the open meeting law) and below the date you'll see the agenda file. To view it, simply click on the file, or in the drop down menu that shows "download" select and chose the adobe option. Either way, the file will open and you'll be able to save to your computer or print.

What about meeting packets?

In an effort to keep all agendas, meeting packets, and minutes in the module entitled "Agendas & Minutes" you'll view meeting packets slightly different than you were used to previously. In this new version of tyngsboroughma.gov, the meeting packet will be found in the same link as the agenda once the packet is ready. For instance, while a Select Board agenda may be posted on Wednesday before a meeting, you will likely find the full meeting packet by Friday afternoon in the same place you found the original agenda.

In a future post, we'll talk about using the agenda center to find meeting minutes and you'll see how doing things this way makes it more convenient. While not all Boards/Committees currently post their meeting packets online ahead of a meeting, this is something that we're working toward and hope to bring all boards/committees under this practice in the near future.

Can I sign up for alerts when a new agenda is posted?

Of course, if you had previously signed up for alerts through our original tyngsboroughma.gov, your subscription should have been carried over. You can subscribe or amend your subscription to focus on specific boards/committees or as many as you'd like by clicking the link below.

https://www.tyngsboroughma.gov/list.aspx