05/07/2007 Annual Town Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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EXPLANATION OF LINE ITEM CHANGES OF GREATER THAN $50,000 AND FINANCE COMMITTEE COMMENTS FinCom Comment Note A; In last year's FinCom Report, it strongly recommended that the Board of Selectmen and the Town Manager place a high priority on implementing the organizational re-structuring of the departments along the lines suggested in the Char-ter and to hire an individual as Assistant Town Manager who had the organizational skills to develop an overall management plan and the financial background to coordinate the Town's finance-related departments. An Assistant Town Manager has,been hired and has been assigned the responsibility of coordinating each of the finance-related departments. With regard to the recommendation that the Building, Conservation, and Planning Departments come under a single department head, and that all building maintenance functions, including the schools be assigned to the Department of Public Works, an ad hoc committee consisting of the Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, Personnel Director and a member of the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee, will be recommending to the Board of Selectmen that these two recommendations remain under review over the near term. An organizational study was conducted by the firm of Governmental Consulting Group, Inc, of Franklin, MA, and submitted to the Board of Selectmen in August 2005. The ad hoc committee has further reviewed and updated some of the data included in the study and will be making its recommendations to the Board of Selectmen in the next several months. Last year, the FinCom noted that many of the department head or management level employees, with the exception of 8, are members of collective bargaining units. The 8 who are not are the Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, the Police and Fire Chiefs, the Personnel Director, Assessor, Accountant, and the Treasurer/Tax Collector. While all the management level employees, including the ones who are in bargaining units, are capable, hardworking, and well qualified for the positions they hold, a potential and inherent conflict of accountability and responsibility would seem to exist for those in collective bargaining units. The ad hoc committee is also discussing this issue and will make recommendations to the Board of Selectmen as well, Budget Note 1: Department of Public Works (+$60,129) The departmental cost increases include $26,000 contractually obligated employee step increases and the addition of seasonal (surnmer) employees for grounds maintenance in lieu of private contractors; $6,000 in supplies and repair expenses, and $28,000 in building maintenance costs, since the department switched to in-house versus private contractors over the past year. FinCom. Comment Note B: In last year's budget note relative to the Police and Fire Departments, the FinCom had 3 specific follow-up recommendations: 1) The Police Chief should examine his administrative organizational structure and assure himself and the Town Manager that the most effective use of the departmental command structure relative to shift coverage, supervision and command control is being utilized. 9