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CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE MINUTES Monday, March 25, 2024* 5 <br /> Cathy Lewis believes that the Charter and organizational chart do not really mesh because the <br /> language in this section doesn't clarify that there is a Finance Department but makes it seem that <br /> this is a separate position. <br /> The Committee referred to the organizational chart potentially being updated to show that the <br /> Director of Municipal Finance could be one of the three. <br /> Town Manager Rodney Collins explained that it is not a separate position but one of the three <br /> directors could be the Director of Municipal Finance and he would look in to the creation of the <br /> position, where the language came from and the history of structuring the Department of <br /> Municipal Finance in the administrative code. <br /> Rodney Collins cited the administrative code regarding administrative organization in order to <br /> clarify Section 5.5: <br /> Starting from the left,the first position below the Town Manager is the position of Assistant Town <br /> Manager. In 2005, at the recommendation of the Town Manager, the position of Director of <br /> Finance was created. Subsequently that position was changed to Assistant Town Manager which <br /> provides direct staff assistance to the Manager. As noted, Section 5-5 of the Charter suggested <br /> that a Director of Municipal Finance position might be advisable as a way of consolidating all the <br /> finance related functions. This option was considered, but rather than creating an additional <br /> position, the Town Manager opted to have the three finance-oriented departments, i.e., <br /> Treasurer/Collector, Town Accountant, and Director of Assessing report to the Assistant Town <br /> Manager, not in a Finance Director capacity, but rather as a coordinator of those departmental <br /> functions,thereby relieving the Town Manager of those day-to-day responsibilities. While on the <br /> table it is shown as being proposed via a dashed line, this relationship has been in effect for over <br /> a year, is working well, and meets the spirit and the intent of the Charter recommendation while <br /> reducing the number of departments reporting directly to the Town Manager by three. <br /> There should be an annotation on the organizational Chart reflecting this.The Committee agreed <br /> that the language needs to be firmed up and to add this to the list of parking lot items. <br /> Section 5.6 <br /> Rodney Collins also explained that the same concept for the Community Development Director <br /> is the same as the Finance Director. <br /> There is a request to have legal counsel review: the Committee would like to know what changes <br /> need to be made so the Charter and Administrative Code are in proper alignment. This section <br /> also makes it seem that the department of Community Development is a separate department. <br /> A foot note should be added to the organizational chart to explain that the Director could be the <br /> Building Commissioner, Conservation Agent, Health Agent, or Town Planner <br /> This will also be a placed as a parking lot topic. <br /> Mary Waygan noted that this position is filled and now there is really no need to have legal <br /> counsel look into it,she also asked if the Town had an Industrial Development Financing Authority <br /> and if the position were to be created would it have to go to Town Meeting. Affordable Housing <br />