{"id":378,"date":"2009-04-28T17:24:52","date_gmt":"2009-04-28T13:24:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/atotw.com\/archive\/?p=378"},"modified":"2009-04-28T17:24:52","modified_gmt":"2009-04-28T13:24:52","slug":"town-manager-frequently-asked-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atotw.com\/archive\/?p=378","title":{"rendered":"Town Manager Frequently Asked Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Dear fellow Hanoverians:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Town Manager debate has grown interesting, and I find
\nmyself hard-pressed to represent both sides fairly.  One tenet that I promise
\nthat I will abide by is that it will not become a personal debate.  In
\nother words, I plan to provide information to all of you that is provided to me
\nby both sides, but without slander, innuendo, or disparaging remarks.  I
\nwill also do my best to insure the information is factual information, and not
\nbiased.  Please understand that this is sometimes inherently a subjective
\ndecision!  I hope to merely illuminate the issues for you to make a
\ndecision on your own.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That being said, the following “Frequently Asked
\nQuestions” were submitted to me by Linda DiNardo, the chair of the Town
\nManager Study Committee:<\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Q: If this proposal is
\nadopted at Town Meeting what would initially change?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

A: <\/span><\/b>The following changes would occur:<\/span><\/p>\n

Membership on the Board of Selectmen (BoS) would increase from 3
\n to 5 members<\/span>
\n The new position of Town Manager, appointed and supervised by the
\n Board of Selectmen, would replace the position of Town Administrator<\/span>
\n All department heads, with the exception of those under the school
\n department, would report to the Town Manager<\/span>
\n The Board of Public Works would become advisory in nature, assisting
\n in the development of policy guidelines for the operation of the
\n Department of Public Works. It would defer the hiring of personnel to the
\n Town Manager.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Q: If passed, when will
\nthe Town Manager form of government take effect?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

A:  <\/span><\/b>With voter approval, full implementation of this
\nproposal will be completed by the fall of 2010. <\/span><\/p>\n

May 2009 – Voter approval at Town Meeting<\/span>
\n May 2009 – Voter approval by Town Ballot<\/span>
\n May 2009 through December 2009 – Approval by State
\n Legislature<\/span>
\n May 2010 – Addition of two positions for Selectmen to Town
\n Ballot<\/span>
\n Fall 2010 – Selection process for Town Manager completed<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/span><\/b> How many<\/b> communities with a Town Manager
\nhave a five member Board of Selectmen?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

A:<\/span><\/b> Of the 57 communities with a Town Manager, 39 have a
\nfive member Board of Selectmen.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Q: Which nearby
\ncommunities now have a Town Manager?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

A<\/span><\/b>:  Nearby communities include Abington, Cohasset,
\nChatham, Concord, Duxbury, Foxboro, Hull, Lexington, Mansfield, Middleboro,
\nNorth Andover, Plymouth, Reading, Saugus, Stoughton, and Sudbury.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Q: What is the difference
\nbetween a Town Manager and a Town Administrator?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

A: <\/span><\/b>There are several important differences between a Town
\nManager and a Town Administrator:<\/span><\/p>\n

A Town Manager has statutory authority to manage the day to day
\n operations of the departments<\/span>
\n A Town Administrator carries out only those duties assigned and
\n authorized by the Board of Selectmen<\/span>
\n Under a Town Manager the Board of Selectmen would assume a broader
\n policy setting role<\/span>
\n Under a Town Manager all department heads, other than the schools,
\n report to the Town Manager<\/span>
\n Under a Town Manager the Board of Selectmen would defer the day to
\n day operations and oversight of departments  to the Town Manager<\/span>
\n Under a Town Administrator the BoS is involved in day to day
\n decision making<\/span>
\n All department budgets would go to the Town Manager for review<\/span>
\n A Town Manager’s duties would include but not be limited to
\n management, procurement, human resources, and fiscal analysis<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Q: Which department heads
\nwould be appointed by and report to the Town Manager?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

A. The following department
\nhead positions would be appointed by (in consultation with the respective
\nboards, committees, and officials) and report to the Town Manager, subject to
\napproval by BoS:<\/span><\/p>\n

Fire Chief  <\/span>
\n Police Chief<\/span>
\n Director of Municipal Finance <\/span>
\n Superintendent of Public Works<\/span>
\n Planner <\/span>
\n Health Agent <\/span>
\n Building Inspector <\/span>
\n Conservation Agent <\/span>
\n Library Director <\/span>
\n Council on Aging Director <\/span>
\n Parks and Recreation Administrator<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Q: Will voters lose the
\nright to elect representatives to the various boards?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

A:<\/span><\/b>  No, all boards and officials that are currently
\nelected will remain elected and all boards and officials that are currently
\nappointed will remain appointed.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Q: Will voter participation
\nchange at Town Meetings?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

A:  <\/span><\/b>No, <\/b>the legislative powers of the Town will
\nremain vested in the Town Meeting open to all voters. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Q: How will the role of
\nthe Board of Selectmen change?<\/span><\/b>
\nA<\/b>: It will relinquish its involvement in the day to day operations of
\nthe town departments to the Town Manager and become the chief goal setting and
\npolicy making body of the town.  The Board will act through the adoption of
\npolicy directives and guidelines which will be implemented by the Town Manager.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Q: What duties will be
\nretained by the Board of Selectmen?
\nA:  <\/span><\/b>The Board of Selectmen will
\ncontinue to appoint Town Counsel, issue licenses, and hire an audit firm; they
\nwill continue to appoint the following standing and ad hoc committees, boards,
\nand commissions:<\/span><\/p>\n

Historical Commission          &nb sp;           &nbs p;           &nbsp ; <\/span><\/p>\n

Affordable Housing Partnership<\/span>
\n Overseers of the Stetson House<\/span>
\n Cultural Council<\/span>
\n Fair Housing Committee<\/span>
\n Affirmative Action Committee<\/span>
\n Design Review Board<\/span>
\n E-911 Committee<\/span>
\n Commissioners of Trust Funds<\/span>
\n Cable Advisory Committee<\/span>
\n Route 53 Study Committee<\/span>
\n Council on Aging<\/span>
\n Board of Appeals<\/span>
\n Conservation Commission<\/span>
\n Representative to the South Shore Vocational Technical School<\/span>
\n Negotiating Representative to the South Shore Vocational Technical
\n School<\/span>
\n Energy Advisory Committee<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Q: What steps did the Town
\nManager Study Committee take to get to this point?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

A:  <\/span><\/b>Understanding that the overall operation of town
\ngovernment has become increasingly complex, the Committee took the following
\nsteps to meet with stakeholders and develop a document for consideration by
\nvoters which provides for a more efficient mechanism to address the town’s
\nneeds:<\/span><\/p>\n

Conferred with the various departments, boards and officials to
\n help determine if a Town Manager form of government would better suit the
\n needs of the Town of Hanover<\/span><\/p>\n

Undertook discussions and interviews with other Town Managers <\/span>
\n Conducted a public hearing to elicit the viewpoints, concerns and
\n recommendations of  residents<\/span>
\n Reviewed data from other communities<\/span>
\n Met with members of  previous government study committees<\/span>
\n Researched information from the Massachusetts Municipal
\n Association<\/span>
\n Used the input obtained from residents at its public hearing, as
\n well as key information compiled within the Town of  Hanover’s
\n Master Plan, to draft this article<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Q: Will the salary of Town
\nManager cost the town more money than the salary of a Town Administrator?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

A:<\/span><\/b> It may be necessary to set a higher salary for a Town
\nManager, commensurate with his\/her expanded authority, duties, and
\nresponsibilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Q: In the quest to bring
\nin new revenue, will the Town Manager have the power to raise fees?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

A: <\/span><\/b>No, any request for an increase in fees by any
\ndepartment, official, board or committee, including a request by the Town Manager,
\nmust be brought to the voters at a Town Meeting for approval.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Q: How would the Town
\nManager be chosen?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

A. <\/span><\/b>The Board of Selectmen will be responsible for the
\nappointment, supervision, and removal of the Town Manager.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For "Around Town on the Web",<\/p>\n

Cathy H-B<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

"Around Town on the Web" is a community service
\nthat has been provided to self-selected residents of the Town of Hanover since
\nthe spring of 2004.  If someone forwarded this message to you and you
\nwould like to receive these communications directly, please e-mail your first
\nand last name and e-mail address to cathyhb@atotw.com<\/span> .  If you would like to be
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\n.  For submission guidelines and answers to frequently asked questions
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\n.  To search for archived "ATOTW" news, just go to https:\/\/atotw.com\/archive<\/span><\/u> .<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dear fellow Hanoverians:   The Town Manager debate has grown interesting, and I find myself hard-pressed to represent both sides fairly.  One tenet that I promise that I will abide by is that it will not become a personal debate.  … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-atotw_archive"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atotw.com\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atotw.com\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atotw.com\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atotw.com\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atotw.com\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=378"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atotw.com\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atotw.com\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atotw.com\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atotw.com\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}