Farmington's Inland Wetlands Commission will return to in-person meetings starting April 15, ending a fully remote format that had been in place since the commission shifted to virtual sessions during COVID.

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The decision, announced by Chair Ned Stachen at Wednesday's meeting, was driven primarily by concerns over litigation risk. If an applicant challenges a commission ruling in court, the remote format could give the applicant's attorney grounds to question whether commissioners were fully attentive during the proceedings.

"There are things that this meeting format can do in regards to questioning the credibility of the commission's decision," Stachen said. "Were people paying attention at the meeting? Were they following? Were they listening the entire time?"

Commissioner Robert Eisner, who has discussed the issue with planning and zoning professionals in other municipalities, said the commission was an outlier in the state. "I'm not aware of any other town that is doing full remote meetings," Eisner said. "I think the public benefit of having us live in person and litigation risk really supports changing to the pre-COVID way of conducting the meeting."

The move brings the Inland Wetlands Commission in line with Farmington's other land use bodies. The Planning and Zoning Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals both conduct full in-person meetings. Stachen acknowledged that he had asked staff in the past whether anyone was pressuring the commission to return to the chambers, and that nobody had. But with more challenging applications on the docket, he said, the risk of having a decision overturned warranted the change.

Senior Assistant Town Planner Bruce Cyr said several applicants had expressed a preference for in-person meetings, saying they felt a better connection with commissioners when presenting face to face. Cyr said the shift was a staff decision — the same way it had been when the town moved to remote meetings during the pandemic. The commission did not vote on it then, and it did not vote on it Wednesday.

Meetings will be held in the council chambers at the Town Hall Annex — what Cyr described as the old town hall. The room has been updated since the commission last met there, with large screens on either side and small tablets at each commissioner's seat. Cyr encouraged commissioners to arrive early on April 15 to familiarize themselves with the setup.

The commission will continue to accommodate remote participation for members who are sick, traveling, or dealing with family obligations. Stachen asked that anyone attending remotely keep their camera on, so the electronic record shows they were paying attention throughout.

Commissioner Dave Fox noted that his computer does not have a camera. "We'll have you ask a lot of questions," Stachen replied.

The first in-person meeting is April 15. The agenda is expected to include the JBS Developers application for 598 Plainville Avenue, which was tabled earlier in Wednesday's meeting while staff completes its review of revised plans.