Town Government Structure Committee
Wheeler Library
December 28, 2016
Meeting was called to order by Dan Smith s at 7:35 pm
Attendance: Nita Kincaid, Dan Spring, Anne Nelson and Dan Smith
Absent: Bill Ricker, Diana Urban, Paul Simonds
Dan Spring spoke with Shawn Murphy, 1st Selectmen. On track with expectations, mentioned being more on administrative considerations rather than planning. Shaun looking for more oversight in planning arena.
Reviewed past recommendations for clarification and discussion as follows:
1. What town needs: Identify the standard role
2. Do we have the capacity in the town to split the P&Z departments
3. Need to request job descriptions from the town to better determine roles of position and what is missing from the mix.
4. Another meeting will take place with Joyce Stille, Administrative Office from town of Bolton, CT which is a town of similar size to North Stonington. Will request job description, more about Joyce’s role and her advice. How to find a person to fill the anticipated role and our considerations for the town.
Economic Development is key to the POCD (Plan of Conservation and Development). What is the current focus of the town’s planner and what is being considered as options for moving the town forward? Execution of the plan and keeping things moving to increase revenue.
Currently focused on re-writing regulations to encourage business to allow more development in the I95 corridor and near the casino, leverage our attributes. (Posi-seal, Ghee Factory, Jovial Foods, Propane at Truck stop)
Survey: Reviewed questions and how to implement.
-Introductory statement from first Selectman
-Include links as needed to give information that maybe helpful to completion of survey such as link to the POCD
-Survey to ask for respondents ideas, input and contributions to town
-Consider a question that asks how departments/commissions/boards interface with each other. Can the need to do so that may be more helpful to accomplish their goals/tasks
-Request IT person to assist for implementation to all via Survey Monkey
-Can board and commission heads be responsible for collecting data and providing summary?
Questions Include:
1. What is your vision for the town?
2. Where do you see skills gap in our town’s government?
3. Do you have the adequate resources to achieve town goals? (Maybe we could ask if they know what town’s goals are.)
4. What priorities and/or actions could be contributory for the Plan of Conservation and Development? (Have link to the plan and perhaps the action plan as well?)
5. What makes the day-to-day activities difficult in town government?
Any other considerations for questions we may have missed?
Finalize questionnaire and introductory statement and work with IT to send out to employees, boards and commissions for their response.
Discussed the need for positions and which might be the top priority at length. Having the job descriptions of current positions would be most helpful in defining the position of Adm Officer or a title yet to be determined. Would planner options be considered and what is the best course of action at this time with potential future options with the goal of moving forward with the action plan and the POCD.
-Where could we find a person of this caliber for this administrative position?
-How do the roles of First Selectman and the administrative position work together and defining the roles of each. As the Selectmen is an elected official then townspeople would expect he would be responsible for certain aspects of town government. Described loosely by state, how is it perceived by the town?
-Economic development-who is primary contact person for businesses coming into town?
-Planner to assist in the Adm role as well.
-POCD-the driver also the ED (needs support)
-Who will be the executor of the POCD?
-Critical: Who does the budget? Selectmen and then presented to the BOF. Is the budget prepared with revenue in mind?
Reviewed literature from the UNC School of Government re
Small Town Community Economic Development
“In some small, rural communities, a strategy to develop new leaders or to create new partnerships in a effort to build capacity can be as important a strategy as any, especially when combined with more traditional and/or alternative economic development strategies.”
Our current town structure is not allowing for the capacity we need to accomplish our goals.
Lack of capacity mires us and does not allow us to move forward and we are “reactive more than proactive.”
Future considerations maybe for a charter but not at this point.
Hybrid administration background piece is important where lack of capacity and make the changes, a strong partner to assist.
Tax zone for commercial entities.
Dan Spring presented a flow chart for the process. Reviewed and discussed the importance of performance under the leadership and support of the community identity through Economic Development. Dan also presented a Pro/Con worksheet that Selectman Mark Donahue had requested. The advantages far outweighed the disadvantages.
Dan Smith presented a document as a potential job description for Adm. Position. Overall looks good but perhaps the planning and economic development components of the position could be stronger. Will continue to review.
Final Thoughts:
-Every day costs the town money in not doing the work that needs to be completed to move the town forward.
-POCD contains the elements that will assist us in moving forward, including the action plan. A staff person to assist in the execution of the plan.
-The EMS and School projects are examples of this but was leadership absent from this process which become delayed. How do we prevent this from happening in the future? Where does the responsibility lie for oversight of the project?
-Tri-board meetings have been helpful to get everyone on the same page, checks and balances and accountability.
-The first selectman and Adm person can work together to move town forward.
The TRSC will be meeting again with Joyce Stille, the Adm Officer from the town of Bolton on January 3 to further discuss her role as the adm officer, her advice, future considerations and a job description.
Also to review the town’s governmental structure as the town is very similar in size to NS and functions well.
Other considerations include:
1. Configure government to save $ use strategic planning
2. Key in on one position, however, re-organization with what currently exists
3. Making government work more efficiently, optimize positions and capacity
4. Multiple duty positions (Bolton utilizes this method effectively)
5. What housekeeping may be done to optimize capacity?
6. How to solve inefficiencies
7. If no buy-in or town not moving forward then what?
8. No assessment of town’s efficiency
9. Potential changes could be made by utilizing existing talent
10. Narrow down what town needs and how to make it fit
11. Duties? Identify.
The meeting adjourned at 9:06 pm. The next meeting will be a workshop with Joyce Stille, Administrative Officer from the town of Bolton, CT. This will be held at Wheeler Library on Tuesday, January 3, 2017 at 7:30 pm
Respectfully submitted,
Anne M Nelson
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