TOWN OF ASHFIELD
SELECT BOARD MEETING AGENDA
(Preliminary and Subject to Change)
June 30, 2010 Immediately following STM
1. OLD BUSINESS
Town Warrant time card review (continued from 06/23/10)
Police Dept. FY2010 budget adjustments
2. NEW BUSINESS
FY 2011 Appointment/Reappointments
FUTURE MEETINGS/APPOINTMENTS
Select Board Meeting – July 14, 2010 @ 7:00 p.m.
Select Board Meeting – July 28, 2010 @ 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Town Hall Reorganization
A reorganization plan completed at the Select Board meeting last night aims to open Town Hall to the public for more than its current two days per week.
After talking extensively to town employees over the last few weeks, town administrative offices liaison Norm Russell presented a plan that separates the Town Administrator, Town Clerk, and Town Treasurer’s positions, all currently held by one person. Russell explained that, if the town can hire a new clerk at a lower hourly rate, that would free up funds to expand the hours of other employees, allowing Town Hall to be open more days of the week.
Russell also said that they hope to find a candidate with computer experience, since part of the clerk’s duties is to be keeper of public records, a position that today requires familiarity with computers. Until a new Town Clerk is found, the Assistant Town Clerk will fulfill the clerk’s duties.
Russell’s plan will couple the position of Town Treasurer and Town Collector. The current Treasurer will become Assistant Treasurer, so someone will be available to generate payroll when the Treasurer is on vacation.
After discussion, Chair Dave DeHerdt summed up next year’s proposed appointments as follows:
Town Administrator/Assistant Treasurer: Maryellen Cranston
Town Clerk: vacant
Town Collector/Treasurer: Laura Blakesley
Assistant Town Clerk: Nancy Dunne and Maryellen Cranston
All appointments are for one-year terms. Appointments are expected to be made at tonight’s Select Board meeting, following the 7 p.m. Special Town Meeting at Sanderson Academy.
David King
After talking extensively to town employees over the last few weeks, town administrative offices liaison Norm Russell presented a plan that separates the Town Administrator, Town Clerk, and Town Treasurer’s positions, all currently held by one person. Russell explained that, if the town can hire a new clerk at a lower hourly rate, that would free up funds to expand the hours of other employees, allowing Town Hall to be open more days of the week.
Russell also said that they hope to find a candidate with computer experience, since part of the clerk’s duties is to be keeper of public records, a position that today requires familiarity with computers. Until a new Town Clerk is found, the Assistant Town Clerk will fulfill the clerk’s duties.
Russell’s plan will couple the position of Town Treasurer and Town Collector. The current Treasurer will become Assistant Treasurer, so someone will be available to generate payroll when the Treasurer is on vacation.
After discussion, Chair Dave DeHerdt summed up next year’s proposed appointments as follows:
Town Administrator/Assistant Treasurer: Maryellen Cranston
Town Clerk: vacant
Town Collector/Treasurer: Laura Blakesley
Assistant Town Clerk: Nancy Dunne and Maryellen Cranston
All appointments are for one-year terms. Appointments are expected to be made at tonight’s Select Board meeting, following the 7 p.m. Special Town Meeting at Sanderson Academy.
David King
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Agenda for Tonight's SB Meeting--6/29/2010
Due to our being unable to convene our open session meeting yesterday, the Select Board will bring all agenda items from yesterday's cancelled meeting to its posted meeting for tonight. I anticipate that the Select Board will conclude its presentation of the STM Warrant to the Finance Committee at approximately 8:45 p.m., after which the Board will continue in open session to address the open meeting agenda items from Monday, June 28, 2010.
R. Dave DeHerdt, Chair
Ashfield Select Board
Editor's note: The agenda for yesterday's cancelled meeting is posted below. Scroll down and click on "older posts" or click on the item in the archives.
R. Dave DeHerdt, Chair
Ashfield Select Board
Editor's note: The agenda for yesterday's cancelled meeting is posted below. Scroll down and click on "older posts" or click on the item in the archives.
The Unposted Meeting--An Opinion
After yesterday's posting "mishap" and all the other issues going on in town hall, I hope people are finally getting the fact that the police department isn't the only problem in town hall. All the other postings made it up. Friends helping friends-- looks pretty bad for the town not being able to control employees.
The board allowed it to go on too long. They have had many chances to deal with this prior to the end of the appointment season, and now it's too late. Their selective discipline has been the board's downfall to this point.
They finally get the guts to put one of the real problems in front of them, thanks to Chief Cotton, in executive session, and look what happens. The board's chance to make it right both procedurally and morally has come and gone. That person will leave with a perfect personnel file and another law suit to come.
Now let's deal with the un-posted meeting in the proper way. We can't allow any employee to hide behind an illness as a reason for mistakes or misdoings. If that employee can't do the job they have, then have them take a leave until they are well enough to do it right. My sympathy is there, but you have a town to run.
John Svoboda
The board allowed it to go on too long. They have had many chances to deal with this prior to the end of the appointment season, and now it's too late. Their selective discipline has been the board's downfall to this point.
They finally get the guts to put one of the real problems in front of them, thanks to Chief Cotton, in executive session, and look what happens. The board's chance to make it right both procedurally and morally has come and gone. That person will leave with a perfect personnel file and another law suit to come.
Now let's deal with the un-posted meeting in the proper way. We can't allow any employee to hide behind an illness as a reason for mistakes or misdoings. If that employee can't do the job they have, then have them take a leave until they are well enough to do it right. My sympathy is there, but you have a town to run.
John Svoboda
Town Hall Bulletin Board
Sewer Commission, Tue. 6/29 @ 6:00pm
Select Board, Tue. 6/29 @ 7:30pm
Finance Committee, Tue. 6/29 @ 7:30pm
Assessors, Tue. 6/29 @ 7:00pm
STM – Wed. 6/30 @ 7:00pm @ Sanderson
Select Board, Wed. 6/30 @ Sanderson after the STM
Planning Board, Thu. 7/1 @ 7:30pm
Police Chief Search Committee, Fri. 7/2 @ 7pm, Fire Station
Police Chief Search Committe, Fri. 7/9 @ 7pm, Fire Station
Conservation Commission, Wed. 7/14 @ 7:30pm
Select Board, Tue. 6/29 @ 7:30pm
Finance Committee, Tue. 6/29 @ 7:30pm
Assessors, Tue. 6/29 @ 7:00pm
STM – Wed. 6/30 @ 7:00pm @ Sanderson
Select Board, Wed. 6/30 @ Sanderson after the STM
Planning Board, Thu. 7/1 @ 7:30pm
Police Chief Search Committee, Fri. 7/2 @ 7pm, Fire Station
Police Chief Search Committe, Fri. 7/9 @ 7pm, Fire Station
Conservation Commission, Wed. 7/14 @ 7:30pm
Special Town Meeting Warrant
To see the articles to be voted on at tomorrow evening's Special Town Meeting, go to Ashfield's official website: http://www.ashfield.org, click on "calendar" in the upper left of the page, then click on "Special Town Meeting" on June 30. A pdf file of the warrant will open when you click on "description."
Please remember that the Special Town Meeting, which begins at 7 p.m., is at Sanderson Academy, since there are handicapped access issues at Town Hall.
Ruth Julian
Please remember that the Special Town Meeting, which begins at 7 p.m., is at Sanderson Academy, since there are handicapped access issues at Town Hall.
Ruth Julian
Monday, June 28, 2010
Today's Select Board Meeting Cancelled
Select Board Chair Dave DeHerdt reports that this afternoon’s scheduled Select Board meeting was not posted by the Town Administrator, so the meeting must be cancelled and re-posted. He said the open meeting law prohibits the Select Board from convening the meeting, since doing so would be a violation of the 48-hour posting requirement.
Ruth Julian
Ruth Julian
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