By Jim Russell | Special to The Republican

BOSTON — The state is urging communities with a townmeeting form of government as their legislative body to convene those gatherings outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state posted a notice online outlining best practices to curb the spread of the disease.

There are two forms of town meeting in the commonwealth of Massachsusetts.

Open town meeting, in which all registered voters can debate and vote on a municipality’s budget and bylaw changes that includes zoning amendments, by attending the meeting. Participation requires attendees – the town’s legislators – to sign in with the town clerk when it is verified an individual is a registered voter and thus eligible to vote during the meeting.

Representative town meeting operates with voters electing town meeting representatives, usually more than a hundred or two hundred, who are vested with all the authority that all registered voters possess in communities with the Open Town Meeting system. Unlike open town meeting guidance, the state’s town meeting guidance for representative town meetings allows option to convene the representative body remotely, should the representatives agree prior to conducting business.

The June 11 guidance that apply to both open and representative town meetings says that municipal “officials are encouraged, to the extent feasible, to hold meetings virtually or outdoors and to ensure that attendees are spaced at least 6 feet apart.”

It says that if “outdoor meetings are not feasible, towns are advised to abide” by social distancing, and use a facility with very good ventilation such as open windows allowing breezes to keep air refreshed inside.

“Promote ventilation for enclosed spaces where possible. For example, open windows and doors to allow airflow. Lines at microphones for questions or comments should be taped to keep people six feet apart. Microphones should be disinfected after each speaker,” the guidelines state.