Town of Hanson - Board of Selectmen
Meeting Minutes – Hanson Town Hall
January 8, 2013
Members Present: Stephen Amico, James Egan, Donald Howard and David Soper
Members Absent: Richard Flynn
Others Present: Town Administrator Rene’ J. Read and Executive Assistant Meredith Marini
I 7:35 p.m.~~~~~~~Chairman Amico called the meeting to order, Chairman Amico led the Pledge of Allegiance then read the announcements and upcoming meeting schedule. Mr. Amico reported that he and Mr. Read just attended a security meeting at the High School outlining what security measures the School District has in place and implement. The presentation will be on cable and a power point presentation will be available to the residents
II TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
Food Pantry Lease – Mr. Read reported that he met with representatives from the Hanson Food Pantry and has largely concluded their review of the proposed lease document.~ They have agreed to the terms of the lease and the Food Pantry is in the process of obtaining some additional information that will be required prior to his recommending that the Board sign off on the lease. Mr. Read highlighted some of items which were discussed which included:
1)~~~~~~~~ Exhibit A (property description);
2)~~~~~~~~ (sketch plan) showing all parts of the outdoor premises that Hanson Food Pantry will use and be responsible for, including walks, entrances, and grounds and well as parking.
3)~~~~~~~~ (Emergency Access numbers) must be filled out by Hanson Food Pantry;
Resignation of Carolyn Galambos from the Board of Library Trustees – The Board received notification that Carolyn Galambos has resigned from the Board of Library Trustees as she has moved out of Town. The Board thanked her for her service. As it is an elected position, appointment of a replacement will require a joint appointment between the Board of Selectmen and the Library Trustees. Deadline for application will be January 30th and the appointment will be scheduled in February.
MOTION by Howard second by Egan to accept with regret Carolyn’s resignation. Voted 4 - 0
Building/Zoning Department – Mr. Read indicated that after 32 years of service to the Town of Hanson, Joanie Miniutti has retired from her position of Administrative Assistant to the Building/Zoning Department.~ Mr. Read extended his and the Board’s best wishes to a long and healthy retirement.~
As a result of Mrs. Miniutti’s retirement, the position was posted and Annmarie Bouzan, who serves as the Administrative Assistant to Recreation was offered and has accepted this position.~
The Recreation Commission position has been posted.
Ethics Training – Mr. Read informed the Board that the Town of Halifax is sponsoring two training sessions - one at 2:00 p.m. and the other at 7:00 p.m., at the Halifax Town Hall, which is located at 499 Plymouth Street/Route 106 on Thursday, January 24th.~ Everyone from our community (elected, appointed, hired, paid, unpaid) is invited to attend.~ Anyone wishing to attend should contact the Selectmen’s Office by Friday, January 11, 2013.
Appointed Highway Surveyor – Mr. Read announced that on Wednesday, January 2, 2013 the Governor signed the legislation which changes the Highway Surveyor position from elected to appointed. Mr. Read thanked Senator Kennedy and Rep. Bradley Jones House Minority Leader for their assistance. Mr. Amico also thanked Mrs. Marini for her assistance.
Police Chief Search – The Board was provided copies of applications for appointment to the Police Chief Search Committee. Mr. Read recommended that the Board members, review the applications and select five applications and return their selection to the office by Friday, January 11th . If more than five applicants are selected, then the Board will interview the candidates. The will interviews will be conducted on January 22, 2013. If five applicants emerge as the top candidates, the Board can vote the committee membership at it’s next meeting on January 22, 2013. Mr. Read indicated that to date, 29 people of have applied for the Police Chief’s position.
Annual Town Reports ~ Mr. Read announced that departmental reports for the Annual Town Report are due on January 22nd
Update on the Collins Report – Mr. Read reviewed a memo updating the status of the report which included:
First Floor Recommendations:
Operations and Workload
1. Make cross-training a part of the regular activities of Town operations.
Begun on a smaller scale using incremental steps however, to be further negotiated with the union.
2. Design a payroll and timecard process that uses technology and balances efficiency with oversight. Completed. A largely universal timecard system was created and has been implemented.
3. Align the operating hours of Town Hall Office and Windows to the extent practicable and make information readily available to public. Completed.
4. Expand the Senior Tax Work-off Program. We are at maximum capacity.
5. Expand use of Student Interns. Pending. This is a longer-term goal.
Communications
1. Establish Regular Meetings of department heads and all Town Hall staff. Completed. Mr. Read has been conducting monthly department head meeting for the past three years. As a result of the Collins Center study, he has been meeting on a monthly basis with all Town Hall staff as well.
2. Update Job Descriptions. Ongoing. As vacancies have occurred in various positions, job descriptions have been updated. An overall update of each job description is ongoing as time permits.
3. Engage in dialogue about Roles and Responsibilities to increase clarity among staff and identify gaps/overlap. Ongoing.
4. Update Organization Chart and make it more readily available to staff and the public. Pending.
5. Increase Town Hall Services Information through signage in Town Hall and on the Town website. Completed.
6. Initiate a standard orientation for new Committee Members (e.g., roles, relevant bylaws, state statutes, open meeting laws, etc.). Pending.
7. Develop a concise yet comprehensive Budget Document. Completed. This was a project that was started prior to the Collins Center review and was completed following their review.
Finance and Budget
1. Consider refocusing Finance Committee's role in the Budget Process. Ongoing.
2. Develop a more strategic approach to Purchasing and Procurement. Ongoing though largely completed.
3. Increase clarity of the Free Cash & Stabilization Policies. Ongoing.
4. Consider providing Grants Training to department heads to increase resources available to Town. Ongoing.
Information Technology
1. Implement mandatory basic Software Training for Town Hall staff. Pending.
2. Include resources in capital plan for IT Assessment of capacity, risks, and needs. Completed yet ongoing.
Policies and Procedures
1. Put Revenue-Related Policies in place to discourage tax and fee delinquency. Ongoing. Feels quarterly billing has impacted that.
2. Standardize and tighten Personnel-Related Policies. Pending.
Analysis and Reporting
1. Consider hiring firms to perform Specific Issue Audits around areas such as usage of telephone lines and health insurance. Discussed with IT and will be moving forward with telephony aspect in the coming months. Has not done health insurance done yet.
2. Perform regular Sick Time & Overtime Tracking. Town hall – completed. Ongoing in other departments.
3. Provide Burn Rate Reporting 3-4 times a year for most departments (and more for those with major problems). Completed.
4. Conduct more Policy Analysis to guide decisions. Ongoing.
Morale
1. Take steps to renew a Sense of Shared Mission. Ongoing.
Organizational Structure
1. Consider Conversion of the Highway Surveyor from Elected to Appointed, because it requires a very demanding set of highly technical and professional skills. Completed.
Second Floor Recommendations:
1. Consider implementing one of the three restricting models described in the Recommendations section of this report. Completed. Combined Town Planner/Conservation Agent position.
2. Increase the use of information technology to improve processes and record keeping. Completed in Building. Health Department almost complete.
3. Align the hours of the second floor windows. In process.
4. Establish regular meetings of second floor staff including general staff meetings and Technical Review Team meetings. General staff meeting have happening. Technical Review team is Pending.
5. Retain the services of a highlyize:9pt;color:#000000;">
III NEW BUSINESS
Open the 2013 May Special & Annual Town Meeting Warrants – Deadline March 1st
MOTION by Soper, second by Egan to open the May Special and Annual Town Meeting warrants. Voted 4 - 0
IV ONE DAY LIQUOR LICENSES- - Camp Kiwanee
Suzy Potter, Hanson, Sat., Feb. 2nd 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. – Shower
MOTION by Howard, second by Egan to approve the one day liquor license as requested. Voted 4 - 0
V COMMITTEE REPORTS - None heard.
VI EXECUTIVE SESSION – None heard.
VII ADJOURNMENT
MOTION by Howard, second by Soper to adjourn. Voted 4 – 0
8:19 p.m. Meeting Adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Meredith Marini,
Executive Assistant
Approved and Voted 4 – 0 – 1 (Flynn)
March 5, 2013
| 
