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Structure of Town Government Committee The structure of town government committee was created by vote of the 1966 town meeting and charged not only with studying the structure of the town's government but also with preparing an official report on our findings and recommendations and drafting the legis- lation necessary for their implementation. We have, with town officials, employees and citizens, attempted to reach a common understanding of present and potential problems in Lexington's government. Criteria which have guided our assessment of problems and the adequacy of proposed solutions include ad- ministrative operating efficiency, citizen participation, policy coordination, responsiveness of the government to the electorate and an adequate system of checks and balances. The problems delineated below are no indictment of competent, dedicated citizen par- ticipants and employees but exist because of inherent weakness in the present structure. There has been almost universal agreement among those consulted that administrative de- centralization is one of the most serious problems facing us and can only increase as the town grows larger, services expand and government operations become more complex. Citi- zen participation is neither as widespread, effective nor relevant as it should be. One of the most pervasive organizational difficulties is the lack of liaison and coordination among the existing boards and committees. Plans are implemented slowly or not at all. The town meeting needs more continuous information, analysis of issues and advice to discharge its responsibilities. We propose to help rectify the above by an improved form of administration - - - a Selectmen - Manager Plan, which we are presenting to the town meeting in March and, if accepted, to the voters in 1969 to go into effect in 1970. Administrative authority would be centralized in the hands of a professional manager releasing the selectmen to concentrate on broad issues of public policy and the solution of major town problems. Freeing the selectmen from administrative detail and centralizing policy making agencies under them would allow them to effect coordination among all aspects of planning: physical, social, economic, metro- politan and regional. They would be able to consider broader planning issues and to develop more completely integrated policies and programs. The primary strength of the Manager Plan is the unification of powers in the town Structure of Town Government Committee Arthur E. Bryson, Jr., Stephen T. Russian, Harriet Relman, Margery M. Battin, Chairman: Alan Adams 14 1 1 1