Select Board adopts code of conduct, AI policy

Select Board · Meeting of November 4, 2026

Orleans Select Board adopted a code of conduct and AI tools policy for town boards, 5-0. After debate over whether elected members should be covered, the board voted by roll call Nov. 4 to approve Sections 8 and 9 of a draft multi-member body handbook, with edits that include striking "if appropriate" from the complaint process. Members also backed the FY28 budget schedule, which sets a Nov. 13 department request deadline and a Jan. 14 budget transmittal; staff projected expenses exceeding revenues by approximately $918,000.

The board appointed Mariah Fidalgo to the Cultural District Committee through June 30, 2029, and Town Manager Kim Newman received a 4.8 overall evaluation score.

In the full story:

• Opening business and announcements
• Performance evaluations
• FY28 budget policy and calendar
• Joint public hearing with the Finance Committee
• Special town meeting preparation
• Land acquisition policy
• Cultural District Committee appointment
• Code of conduct and AI tools
• Closing business
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 1,532 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of November 4, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.