HomeMy WebLinkAbout1984-02-21 Selectmen-Town Manager Act Committee report TOWN OF LEXINGTON
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN
UNDER ARTICLES 8 AND 11
OF THE WARRANT FOR THE 1984 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING
February 21 , 1984
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On May 17, 1982, the Board of Selectmen appointed a seven
member committee to review the Selectmen-Town Manager Act. The
group was charged to:
review the Selectmen/Town Manager Act and . . .
recommend appropriate changes and/or revisions to
be considered by the Selectmen and Town Meeting.
Reconsideration of the form of government was expressly omitted
from the group' s mission.
Appointment to the committee were:
Fred C. Bailey
Lincoln P. Cole, Jr. �
Dan H. Fenn, Jr.
Homer J. Hagedorn
Mary W. Miley
Anne Scigliano
Arthur C. Smith
The Committee, chaired by Homer Hagedorn, met with a wide range
of community leaders, interested residents, Town officials and staff.
At the conclusion of their deliberations they submitted a written re-
port to the Selectmen. This report concluded that "the Act is in
general working acceptably well. "
The report also detailed some specific areas where change was rec-
ommended, either for "housekeeping" reasons, or for the more sub-
stantive function of giving more flexibility and/or facilitating
citizen participation in government.
The Selectmen have met with the Committee and received comments
on the report from administrative staff and others. The proposed
changes were the subject of several Board meetings, including one
where chairmen of Town Boards, Committees and Commissions were spe-
cifically invited to attend.
It should be noted that in a number of instances the Selectmen
have found merit in the Committee' s recommendations but have de-
termined that the desired objective can be accomplished through
admendment to the Board' s own policies and procedures. These re-
late specifically to procedures used for evaluation of staff
performance.
Two articles in the warrant for the 1984 Annual Town Meeting
relate to the results of this Committee' s efforts. Under Article 8,
motions will be made to the following effect:
a. to amend section 5 of the Act relating to appointment of
the Town Manager. Language will be proposed to delete
the requirement of prior paid governmental service while
ensuring that the highest calibre of professional will
be recruited for the position.
b. to amend section 5 of the Act to allow the Town Manager
to engage in outside professional activities with the
approval of the Board of Selectmen.
c. to amend section 7 of the Act to provide for a public
hearing in relation to removal of the Town Manager, if
the Town Manager so desires . At present no hearing is to
be held if four or more Selectmen vote for the dismissal.
d. to amend several sections of the Act relating to the
timetable and schedule for preparing the Town budget, and
reports of financial committees. The proposed change will
move the submission of the budget to the Selectmen from
December 1 to January 15 . Other key dates will be adjusted
around this change, which is based on the premise that Town
Meeting would commence the 1st Monday in April.
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It is intended to delete specific dates from the Act; develop
an integrated budget timetable in the General By-Laws of the Town;
and include in the Act a reference to the budget timetable in the
By-Law. This will simplify future amendment of the budget process
by Town Meeting, if it is deemed appropriate. A second article in
the warrant, Article 11, will accomodate the incorporation of a re-
vised budget timetable in the General By-Laws.
Because of their legal significance, the precise text of the
amendments will be drafted by Town Counsel. They will be available
for review, along with the present text and assessment of the impact
of the change, before Town Meeting is asked to consider action on
these articles.
A copy of the Committee' s report is attached hereto for reference,
as well as an administrative summary of the Selectmen' s response.
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