Town Hall Meetings..OR...Something else???

Having attended a town hall meeting I can't help but wonder what the actual reason for these meetings is?

Here is the stated goal for the town hall meetings.

These town hall meetings, unlike the formal project public hearings that many Texans have attended, will allow attendees to discuss the corridor and its impact to Texas with TxDOT officials. It also will allow attendees to get their questions answered about the corridor and statewide transportation policy. In short, these town hall meetings are a conversation that will lead to solutions to Texas’ current and future transportation challenges. "

Could it possibly mean this? "These town hall meetings, unlike the formal project public hearings that many Texans have attended, will allow attendees to discuss the corridor and its impact to Texas with TxDOT officials WHERE COMMENTS ARE NOT ON THE OFFICIAL RECORD."

I'm staring to believe that these town hall meetings are a way to get people to attend, voice their opinion, and then skip the formal and ON THE RECORD public hearings. This allows TXDOT to say they listened but avoid the hassle of having to document the fact that nobody likes/wants the plan.

What do you think???