Thetford
The move would involve reorganizing Thetford’s governance structure, with a town manager hired to oversee the departments of public works, zoning and policing, among others, relieving the Selectboard of most of its day-to-day supervisory duties.
On Tuesday night, Thetford’s town manager committee held a forum to discuss the implications of such a change and solicit feedback from residents. It drew an overflow crowd to the meeting room at the back of Town Hall, with a dozen attendees forced to stand.
Committee member Bill Huff compared the prospective town manager’s role to that of a company’s chief executive officer and the Selectboard to its board of directors.
Huff placed the likely cost of hiring a town manager at somewhere between $88,620 and $198,580. Those figures reflect not just the projected town manager salary, which he said could range from $58,240 to $124,800, but also the likely consolidation of the town clerk and town treasurer positions, as well as the cost of hiring a financial officer and several municipal assistants.
The corresponding tax increase would be between $26.80 and $58.20 per $100,000 of assessed valuation.
To committee member Cathee Clement, adopting a town manager position is an opportunity to streamline the resolution of employee issues.
“In the hiring process, the idea is you would be looking for someone with human resources experience,” she said.
Clement said some municipal responsibilities would stay put with the arrival of a town manager. The town clerk would continue to issue marriage and dog licenses, for example.
But, she said, the town manager could help jump-start stalled projects, like the relocation of the town garage.
One sticking point on Tuesday night was the question of which goals would guide the town manager’s work. Thetford resident Melissa Krzal argued for codifying the job description in a town charter, and said launching a search beforehand would be “putting the cart before the horse.”
Huff responded by saying the town would be “better informed” about the town manager’s proper responsibilities two or three years hence, and could work those into a town charter then.
Jim Masland, one of Thetford’s two representatives in the state House of Representatives, was on hand for the discussion. He chimed in to downplay the importance of passing a charter.
“I am not worried that if we go to a town manager without a charter we’ll be wandering off the deep edge,” he said.
The more relevant issue, Masland said, is that state statutes had complicated the job of the Selectboard to the point that its members needed more support.
“Having an astute, well-versed, sophisticated person to do the job is increasingly important,” he said.
Thetford resident Mike Pomeroy offered a different take, suggesting the town delegate more responsibilities within its current workforce rather than bring on new staff.
“Why don’t we give the signing authority to the department heads, to the (town Department of Public Works)?” he asked.
Mark McMahon, chairman of the town manager committee, said he hoped to deliver a final report to Thetford’s Selectboard by July 9. That would allow the board to prepare a ballot measure for August’s primary elections.
Gabe Brison-Trezise can be reached g.brisontrezise@gmail.com.