Board of Selectmen
Thursday August 30, 2018
Rutland Public Library
5:30 p.m.
Present: Sheila Dibb, Leah Whiteman, Leroy Clark, Wayne Walker, Jeffrey Stillings (via phone)
Others: Bob Reed – Interim Town Administrator, Abby Benoit – Administrative Assistant, Laura Paradise – Secretary
Ms. Dibb opened the meeting at 5:30 p.m. The meeting was recorded for airing on Channel 191 and YouTube.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
APPOINTMENTS
Town Administrator Candidate Interviews
5:30 p.m.: Adam Wilson
The Board welcomed Mr. Wilson. Ms. Dibb asked Mr. Wilson to introduce himself and discuss why he would be the right candidate for Rutland. Mr. Wilson has lived on Martha’s Vineyard for 25 years. He worked previously as the Zoning Board Administrator in Oak Bluffs, then as Town Administrator in Aquinnah. He left his position as Town Administrator after seven years to do consulting in the wind energy sector for a Danish firm. The firm is going in a different direction and Mr. Wilson has chosen to return to municipal management. He has enjoyed living on the Vineyard, but Rutland would provide a chance to advance his skill set in administration, as well as an opportunity to look at a more reasonable housing market with greater housing diversity and stock. He feels Rutland would be a challenge professionally as it’s a larger town with
more of a budget to work with and bigger departments. Rutland has the right mix of residential, agricultural, and commercial. Mr. Wilson comes from a very residential community.
Mr. Walker asked how Mr. Wilson interacts with citizens, and what actions he has taken to improve direct services and communication to citizens. Mr. Wilson stated during his time as Town Administrator in Aquinnah, he also served as the front desk receptionist and was the conduit between the Board of Selectmen and departments heads as well as responding to a variety of citizen needs. As Town Administrator, he expects to be in Town Hall every day and feels showing up is vital. The Town Administrator must be the face of the town. Mr. Wilson worked previously with a small community and two governments (the Wampanoag tribe). A Town Administrator must be able to take the time to sit down with citizens and hear what they have to day. Mr. Wilson is a big believer in finding remedies to problems.
Mr. Walker asked about Mr. Wilson’s experience with building and working with citizen committees. During his time as Zoning Administrator in Oak Bluffs, Mr. Wilson took on an administrative assistant role with the Community Preservation Committee as well as other historical boards. In Aquinnah, he took on the enormous 3-year task of setting up citizen committees to relocate the Gay Head Lighthouse. He believes it’s important to recognize citizen committees and provide assistance and counsel. The Town Administrator should act as conduit between their appointments and work with departments affected by committee work.
Mr. Walker asked how Mr. Wilson manages in a context where there is a majority on an issue, but a strong minority view on the Board or in Town Meeting. Mr. Wilson stated it is important to hear both sides and build consensus. If a majority opinion favors a certain direction, the minority must be given an opportunity to present their views. If the majority prevails at Town Meeting, it must be brought to fruition.
There was discussion about growth in Rutland and the dilemma of a small town growing beyond its borders.
Mr. Clark asked about dealing with the impacts of managed growth and about Mr. Wilson’s experience with municipal building construction and renovation. Mr. Wilson did substantial work on the interior of Town Hall including appropriating free cash at Town Meeting for painting, roofing, and new flooring. He also raised $3.4 million to relocate the Gay Head Lighthouse. Mr. Wilson discussed the effects of Hurricane Sandy in Aquinnah and working with FEMA to get a road functioning again within 10 days of the storm.
Mr. Wilson is not Chapter 30B certified but has put in many 30B applications while working with the Community Preservation Committee and knows how to use Central Register. He has procured everything from a $6,000 painting contract to a $400,000 lighthouse relocation contract.
Mr. Clark asked about Mr. Wilson’s experience in successfully (or unsuccessfully) acquiring grants. Mr. Wilson stated he has had a lot of success with Community Preservation Act grants for both Aquinnah and Oak Bluffs.
Mr. Clark asked about Mr. Wilson’s experience in the creation, provision, and management of regional services. Mr. Wilson discussed the struggle of managing regional expenses a town has no control over and the balance of finding revenue to offset the rise of educational assessments. He feels it is necessary to be transparent to taxpayers about regional costs.
Ms. Whiteman asked about Mr. Wilson’s HR responsibilities including hiring/firing and benefit negotiations. Mr. Wilson served as Chief Administrative Officer and did not have hiring or firing authority, though he has been involved in the hiring process through the Personnel Committee. When he came on board in Aquinnah, he was responsible for seeing the Town through four retirements and worked diligently with the Personnel Committee for fair and equitable replacements. Mr. Wilson discussed the importance of documenting issues if there are difficulties between an employee and employer. In his last position, the Town’s Treasurer oversaw HR matters, including benefit changes mandated by the State.
There was discussion about developing a municipal budget. Mr. Wilson has been through seven budget cycles, and a variety of Annual and Special Town meetings. He worked to help create a Financial Advisory Committee, which makes recommendations at Town Meetings.
Ms. Dibb asked how the budget was presented at Town Meeting. Mr. Wilson stated it was broken down and voted line-by-line. He worked with the departments to bond significant items and worked with the Town Moderator to present articles on spending.
Ms. Dibb asked if Aquinnah had a Capital Improvement Committee. Mr. Wilson believes they need one, but it’s such a small town with very little infrastructure that most capital improvements have come from the department heads. The Town’s most recent budget was $3.7 million with a $5.50 per 1,000 tax rate. They were successful in generating Free Cash by bringing in a contract to identify properties where taxes were due and put them into tax title. They average several hundred thousand in Free Cash. Upon Mr. Wilson’s departure from Aquinnah they had approximately $1 million in stabilization.
Mr. Wilson’s experience with financial policies, recap sheets, and monitoring expenditures was discussed, as well as experience with regional school district budgets.
Mr. Walker asked about Mr. Wilson’s experience with collective bargaining. Mr. Wilson discussed his experience negotiating two contracts with CBA for the police force. They went through negotiations twice around on 3-year contracts. There should be open communication during the bargaining process, and awareness going in that once a feature has been added you can’t negotiate to withdraw it. In Mr. Wilson’s past experiences, a representative of the Board of Selectmen and the accountant were also on the negotiating team. Depending on the union and contract, more individuals could also be involved.
There was discussion about handling grievances, mediation, and arbitration. Mr. Wilson has handled several grievances, though most grievances were directed to the Personnel Committee. Due to the small size of his previous towns he didn’t handle too much arbitration but did maintain a strong working relationship with Town Counsel for legal issues pertaining to the local tribe.
Mr. Clark asked how Mr. Wilson’s former staff and colleagues would describe his leadership style. Mr. Wilson believes they would describe him as dedicated with a persuasive style of management, ethical, and a touchstone between executive officers and department heads. He considers himself gregarious and outgoing and feels people don’t have a problem coming to him with concerns.
Mr. Clark asked how long it takes for a Town Administrator to get a handle on a town’s complexities. Mr. Wilson discussed a period of acclimation as each job has its own parameters and it takes time to get to know a town. Mr. Wilson discussed his ideal first 100 days, which would be spent getting to know the community, departments and department heads, as well as the budgets, personnel, and administrative support staff.
Mr. Clark discussed promoting good working relations. Mr. Wilson stated being available is the key ingredient, as well as understanding both sides of a subject and the ability to hear what people are saying.
There was discussion about the Board developing a strong and productive relationship with the Town Administrator. There must be trust, no hidden agendas, backdoor negotiations, or micromanagement.
Ms. Whiteman asked Mr. Wilson to list what he feels are the top three most important roles of a Town Administrator for Rutland. Mr. Wilson feels being a presence in town is important, as well as accessibility and working as a liaison to the boards and department heads and state officials. There was discussion about preventing micromanagement if it’s a situation where it proves detrimental.
There was discussion about population increasing and how to balance the tax burden associated with a large population. Mr. Wilson would hope to find a good way to budget and let the community be aware of the situation. He feels if people understand the risk for breakdown of services, they may be more accepting of a tax increase.
Ms. Dibb asked if Mr. Wilson had any questions. There was discussion about the original funding of the Town Administrator position. Mr. Stillings asked Mr. Wilson about his working relationship with fire, police, and DPW and about Mr. Wilson’s decision to relocate to Rutland if offered the position.
The first interview ended at 6:20 p.m.
NEW BUSINESS
Letter of Agreement, Town of Rutland and Local 806, State Council 93. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO
Mr. Reed asked the Board to pass over this agenda item as it did not meet the 48-hour requirement and is not an emergent situation. Mr. Reed has questions about the side letter agreement and asked that it be added to the next agenda. The letter will be held.
Discussion of Town Administrator Candidates
The Board discussed the big change Mr. Wilson would face. Ms. Dibb feels he doesn’t have much experience with the type of financial issues Rutland faces. A lot of issues were sent to committee’s at Mr. Wilson’s previous position.
There was discussion about personnel bylaws and committees, and HR being mostly dealt with by the Treasurer.
6:30 p.m.: Meagen Donoghue – Town Administrator Candidate Interview
The Board introduced themselves to Ms. Donoghue and advised her that the meeting was being filmed for local cable and YouTube.
Ms. Dibb asked Ms. Donoghue to introduce herself and discuss why she would be the right candidate for Rutland. Ms. Donoghue thanked the Board for inviting her to interview. She has 21 years of professional experience, including 13 years in higher education. After obtaining her master's degree in regional planning she has worked in different roles in the municipal field. She feels her current position is targeted without a lot of room for growth and is looking for broader experience. She chose Rutland because it is experiencing rapid growth and she feels her skills would apply. While she may not have traditional Town Administrator experience, she believes her prior experience would still make her a good fit.
Mr. Walker read the second interview question.
Ms. Donoghue stated as a planner she is out frequently on site visits. She has an open-door policy and is there for the citizens. She currently sits on several committees ex-oficio and serves as a liaison. She feels her role is to serve as a liaison between the committees and the rest of the administration, as well as educate citizen volunteers on MGL and policy.
On the topic of managing in a context where there is a majority on an issue, but a strong minority view, Ms. Donoghue feels it is important to give equal time to each and to educate people about the two sides. Often most groups want to be heard and listening is key.
Mr. Clark read the 3rd set of interview questions regarding growth management.
With experience as a town planner, Ms. Donoghue would bring a tool kit in terms of land-use planning. She found Rutland’s master plan to be out of date (2000-2001) and feels it would be important to update it as a lot has changed in 20 years. It would give the Town a road map to economic planning, schools, and other factors. There are 10 key processes to write a master plan, and it is a good way to understand the town. She would also do a housing inventory, not just single family but affordable housing, and look into the zoning code to perhaps introduce more overlay districts. She would also look at the disposition of land for the Hospital site.
Based on her experience working for Ratheon, Ms. Donoghue believes the Heights land could be used for affordable housing or retail. Rutland is similar to Athol, which is allowing commercial to come in to offset the tax base. She sees the potential for something similar in Rutland.
Regarding municipal building construction and renovation, Ms. Donoghue has experience with disposition and raising funds. She was on a committee to preserve a town hall and has a lot of fundraising experience, though she has not had to opportunity to negotiate deals. She is not Chapter 30B certified but has completed the MCPPO classes. She would have to go back and do it again for certification. She has an understanding of RFPs and procurement but lacks certification. It would be an easy process and the courses are offered regularly.
Ms. Donoghue has been very successful with grant writing and enjoys the process. She recently won Housing Choice Designation and has worked with Community Compact and playground grants. She has a lot of experience and continues to write grants for her department.
Ms. Donoghue does not have experience with the creation, provision, and management of regional services but understands she would be a liaison to the Board's negotiations.
Ms. Whiteman asked the 4th set of interview questions regarding HR experience.
Ms. Donoghue has been able to select employees as a manager and has set up and sat on search committees. In her career, she’s had to fire two employees and feels it’s necessary to keep records prior to firing for justification to that point. She discussed the importance of listening to all sides and practicing consistency with policy.
Ms. Donoghue does not have experience with negotiating or implementing benefit changes but understands she would be a liaison to the Board for the matter, as well as for negotiations with unions and the schools.
Ms. Dibb asked the 5th set of questions regarding developing a municipal budget.
Ms. Donoghue does not have experience preparing a full budget but has done the budget for her department. She has taken courses in municipal finance and is currently enrolled in a course on budgeting at the municipal level. She has not presented a budget at Town Meeting but has presented her department’s budget to the Town Manager and Finance Committee. She has worked with level funding as a department head and understands that is the situation Rutland is currently in.
Ms. Donoghue discussed Free Cash and having justification to use it as a funding course. She has not worked with developing financial policies. The previous town she worked for saw issues with a delayed budget and got to a point where they had to ask the Finance Director to step down. She feels the Town Administrator would need to work closely with the Treasurer and accounting firm. Ms. Donoghue feels that, while there would be a learning curve, she could bring herself up to speed with the process in Rutland.
Regarding experience dealing with a regional school district whose budget is independent of the Town, Ms. Donoghue has been working with the disposition of land and RFP in which her current town is looking to do a land swap to see what the strain would be on the schools. As a finance issue, she knows that it is always a push and pull with the schools asking for more than what the Town can afford. It’s hard to balance with the need to pay Town employees. Growth is a factor in Rutland that will put a strain on all resources.
Mr. Walker asked the 6th set of interview questions regarding collective bargaining.
Ms. Donoghue was a member of a union during her time in higher education and graduate school. Having attended union meetings, she understands the passion on that side. She is empathetic for union members but would ultimately be working on the Board’s behalf in negotiations. Ms. Donoghue does not have direct contract negotiation experience, but negotiates regularly with attorneys, etc. Additionally, she does not have experience with grievances, mediation, and arbitration with unions but understands the process from having family that are union members.
When asked how colleagues would describe her leadership style, Ms. Donoghue stated she feels she would be seen as consistent and transparent. Her kindness, while some may see it as a weakness, has gotten her a long way. She is thorough and organized. She likes a relaxed office atmosphere but needs to be available to the public and believes in an open-door policy.
Mr. Clark asked how long Ms. Donoghue feels it would take to get a handle on the Town’s complexities and what she would do in her first 100 days. She feels it would take a while to adjust to the day-to-day depending on how strict the policies are, but she can pick up on things easily and ask a lot of questions. She would get out and introduce herself, talk to citizens and get to know the Town. She would ask the Police Chief for a tour of the Town & go to local restaurants. She would meet weekly with department heads and meet regularly with the Board of Selectmen Chair as well as individual members. She believes continuing education and attending educations events is the best way for a Board and Town Administrator to keep up to date on trends. Ms. Donoghue discussed a planning class she attended that could be beneficial to Rutland.
Ms. Whiteman asked the last interview question regarding the top three roles, functions, and/or responsibility of the Town Administrator for Rutland.
Ms. Donoghue discussed being a liaison between the Board and the community, the financial aspect of the job, and serving as a marketing agent for the Town to entice development as she has good connections across the state as a planner.
Ms. Whiteman asked about Ms. Donoghue’s background as a planner, as the Town is currently hiring its first Town Planner, and the shift from planning to town administrator. Ms. Donoghue is happy to step away from the planning role but would be happy to assist.
Ms. Dibb asked about the financial aspect as there is a lot to budget. She asked Ms. Donoghue how long she foresees it taking to get up to speed and if she feels there are any road blocks. Ms. Donoghue would hope to work with the Board to educate herself on the process. She has a lot of resources on municipal budgeting and knows it is something she would need to focus on in the first 6 months.
Ms. Donoghue asked about the Board’s expectations for the Town’s second Town Administrator and what they’ve learned from having a Town Administrator.
Ms. Dibb stated the Town lucked out with its first Town Administrator and the Board’s concerns are making sure everything Ms. Nartowicz started will continue in the right direction. Ms. Nartowicz put out a lot of fires and put a lot of policies and procedures in place, but there is more to be done. The second person to hold the position will need to keep the work going even in the face of everything else going on in Town.
Ms. Donoghue asked if there are any other expectations of the position. Ms. Whiteman stated it is important to carry on with what Ms. Nartowicz has laid out. A future mindset is important for the long-term, especially with recent growth in Town. There might be resistance because things will be different than what it has been. Ms. Dibb stated they are not looking for a Town Administrator to simply maintain the status quo. There are big projects coming up and a lot of work still to be started. Mr. Walker stated things are changing all the time.
Ms. Donoghue asked the Board if they are okay with someone learning the processes and not having the full skill set already. Ms. Whiteman feels it’s important to find someone well-rounded and provide support in the areas they need. Ms. Dibb expressed some concerns. When they were searching for the initial Town Administrator, they were looking for a seasoned candidate. The Board needs to think about the Town’s structure and being able to provide support to the Town Administrator.
Ms. Donoghue asked about the culture of the staff in Town. Ms. Dibb stated it has changed over the years, currently good. There were difficulties with Public Safety. The amount of teamwork and morale came with Ms. Nartowicz.
Ms. Donoghue discussed the pre-Town meeting forum and concern for low morale. Mr. Walker stated people have said they stay because they like the Town. Ms. Dibb stated that Ms. Nartowicz worked to make sure non-unionized staff has been considered and not overlooked. Ms. Whiteman stated a lot of employees wear a lot of different hats because of cuts over the years. Ms. Dibb stated part of it comes back to rapid growth. The Town is in a better place, but it’s taken a long time.
The Board thanked Ms. Donoghue. Ms. Donoghue provided the Board documents for review – sample writings, etc.
Ms. Donoghue asked about the timeline. Ms. Dibb stated the initial search did not bring in a wide range of applicants. The timeline is open depending on tonight’s meeting. If they continue the search they will hold final applicants from this round.
The Board recessed at 7:22 p.m.
The Board returned from recess at 7:30 p.m.
7:30 p.m.: Bryan LeBlanc
The Board introduced themselves to Mr. LeBlanc and asked him to tell the Board about himself. Mr. LeBlanc lives in Leominster and attended Holy Cross. He has practiced law throughout Massachusetts and practiced municipal law for 14 ½ years. It was a great career, but there was pressure to generate business. He has been working for the Town of Natick for 2 ½ years and loves what he does but is looking for a new challenge. He feels Rutland is a beautiful place and is faced with challenges with so much growth on the horizon. The challenge is keeping the character of the community as it grows.
Mr. Walker asked the 2nd interview question about actions taken to improve direct services and communication to citizens. Mr. LeBlanc served as Chief Procurement Officer in Natick and has digitized records dating back to 1948, making them available for boards and administration at a moment’s notice. His goal is to have all bids scanned and tabulations available within an hour. He answers all questions as quickly as possible.
Mr. LeBlanc has served most recently on the Fire Station Building Committee and has been able to offer advice concerning procurement. He discussed hiring a project manager and the phases of development. The challenge for a Town Administration is to look at areas of expertise on the committee.
With regards to managing when there is a majority and a strong minority view on the Board or at Town meeting, Mr. LeBlanc believes the biggest degree is respect and civility at all times. In the dialogue, the best results are procured. It is the role of the moderator at Town Meeting to keep a sense of order and allow time for both sides to express their view points. At times, a particular position will need to win, and another lose.
Mr. Clark asked the 3rd set of interview questions regarding growth management.
While engaged in law practice, Mr. LeBlanc assisted several towns in negotiations with developers in terms of the negative impacts of growth and consideration of infrastructure. Municipal building construction and renovation was Mr. LeBlanc’s biggest strength in his prior law practice. He was second chair counsel in the Town of Hanover during the building of the high school and has counseled many towns with many other projects.
Mr. LeBlanc is currently the Chief Procurement officer for Natick and has recently been involved with a low impact development grant under Green Communities. He has been assisting community development with that entire process.
Regarding regional services, Mr. LeBlanc has done cooperative bidding in Natick and does regional-based procumrent. He has advised many towns and districts on funding agreements and bussing contracts.
Ms. Whiteman asked the 4th set of interview questions regarding HR responsibilities.
Mr. LeBlanc does not have any direct reports in Natick, only one person at DPW who assists him. He has assisted her through direct mentoring. In law, he mentored younger associated and counseled many towns in terms of labor and employment, labor arbitrations, law suits, collective bargaining, etc. In Natick, he has been involved in the negotiation process for a charge of insurance rates.
Ms. Dibb asked the 5th set of questions regarding budgeting.
Mr. LeBlanc has advised numerous cities and towns on how to analyze changes to a particular budget and has had the opportunity to present his portion of the budget for the main Town budget. He has been called upon as CPO from time to time to speak before the Finance Committee, and previously in a legal role including for use of capital items for non-capital purposes.
Regarding Free Cash, Mr. LeBlanc stated it is dependent on the residents to determine use for left over Free Cash at the end of the year. It is important to reign in the use of Free Cash because it helps in the upcoming year. There may be projects for which Stabilization Funds need to be used at the end of the year, if there is a shortfall.
Mr. LeBlanc discussed the overall fiscal policy he has had to work with, regarding how particular revenues are forecasted and how the budgets are looking for a particular item. The most serious finance issue he’s helped advised on was when the Town faced a couple million-dollar deficit and ha to close it. They needed to see if the Town or District would meet the deficit. He thinks it’s important to keep track of the ledger at all times. To monitor receipts and expenditures, he would want to look at a few things including talking to the department heads about the current budget and where it is going. Past performance of the budget will be an indicator of the trend, and department heads are the best resource for tracking that. In terms of project management, keeping in charge with your OPM is important.
Mr. LeBlanc doesn’t have experience in Natick dealing with a regional school district, but in his past roles he represented many districts and towns that were part of the districts in an advisory capacity.
Mr. Walker asked the 6th set of questions about collective bargaining.
Mr. LeBlanc has participated with other attorneys with the bargaining process and representing school districts and fire departments for many years. He discussed the police contract for Plymouth for which he served as labor counsel. The department heads were involved on a daily basis. He is not part of a union and has not been involved with direct labor negotiations in Natick. In the past as an attorney, he was involved with collective bargaining. Most grievances as a firm were dealt with at a fouth level and beyond.
Mr. Clark asked how Mr. LeBlanc’s staff and colleagues would describe his leadership style.
Mr. LeBlanc stated it depends on who he is dealing with, the public versus and employee or someone who needs mentoring. You need to look at the situation you’re dealing with, need to step back and listen to the positions of all parties involved. It is a process approach.
Mr. LeBlanc feels getting a handle on the Town’s complexities depends on the Town involved. Building a rapport with the Board of Selectmen, Zoning Board, and other major players in town is important. He would start studying up on the Town and be visible, start talking with department heads from day one. The priority list is constantly changing. In the first 100 days, he would establish goals, talk with the Selectmen, and add personal and other goals. You need to lead by example, roll up your sleeves and get involved in projects.
Ms. Whiteman asked Mr. LeBlanc what he feels the top three most important roles, functions, and/or responsibilities would be for the Town Administrator for Rutland.
Mr. LeBlanc feels one of the biggest responsibilities is pulling various actors together. If there is a gap in service, you have to work toward brining everyone together very quickly. Second would be addressing growth and goals. Third would be to increase communication from the office and within.
Ms. Whiteman asked a follow-up question about Mr. LeBlanc’s experience with acquiring grants. Mr. LeBlanc has previously reviewed grant applications and is familiar with the process.
Ms. Dibb asked a follow-up about the worst-case scenario dealing with union negotiations. Mr. LeBlanc discussed a time dealing with negotiations that went on for more than a year with difficulties on both sides.
Mr. LeBlanc asked the Board what the Town is looking for in the position of Town Administrator.
Ms. Dibb discussed the position being funded 11 years ago and remaining unfunde dfor 8 years. The Board is looking for someone who can help maintain the pace and continue improvements since the first Town Administrator. Morale is good because there is a central manager. They are not looking to renvent the wheel, but to build off what Ms. Nartowicz has done and keep the momentum going.
Ms. Dibb asked Mr. LeBlanc why he left municipal law and went to Natick. Mr. LeBlanc stated it wasn’t that he was unhappy practicing law, but with the aspect of becoming a partner and having to generate business.
Ms. Dibb asked what Mr. LeBlanc’s relationship would be with Town Counsel. Mr. LeBlanc stated he would not be a substitute for Town Counsel. He cannot give legal advice. He is still contacted by his ld firm and still part of the professional community.
The interview ended at 8:08 p.m.
Ms. Dibb asked if there is any discussion about the interview candidates.
OLD BUSINESS
DPW Director Search Process/Update
Ms. Nartowicz stated the Town has received four resumes. The candidates may be strong, but she doesn’t see why the Town wouldn’t look to diversify the pool of applicants. It wouldn’t hurt to expand the search to diversify the pool.
The advertisement has been off MMA.org for almost a full month since it expired on July 31st. It did not hit additional resources, only MMA. The professional journals are important. If advertising with MMA, you will not have people from out of state which could be beneficial.
Ms. Dibb discussed advertising until the position is filled. Additional venues need to be targeted.
There was discussion about changing department structure and if it should be done prior to the position being filled. They are looking for an administrative or hands-on role and need to start working on the water-sewer district.
Ms. Dibb said they are bordering on the 100-day mark and are nowhere near hiring. Mr. Reed recommended a firm for finding an interim if necessary. Through all the Towns they have worked with they have a network they are familiar with and could suggest names for an interim and along with broader advertising could find more candidates.
Mr. Reed spoke with Alan Gould at MRI regarding renewing the search or using a firm for the Town Administrator search. MRI would handle all of it, including background checks, for under $10,000. For DPW director they could do it for approximately $3,500.
The Board discussed advertising with Mass Highway and Mass DPW.
Mr. Reed will get specific numbers together for advertisements.
Mr. Clark moved to go forward and authorize Bob Reed to begin the process of contracting with Municipal Resources Inc. for the search of a DPW Director. Mr. Walker 2nd. Vote unanimous.
Mr. Clark moved to adjourn. Ms. Whiteman 2nd. Vote unanimous.
The meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Abby Benoit and Laura Paradise
Secretary, Board of Selectmen
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