• All three members of BOS resigned in 2023: lost all institutional knowledge
• Two-year terms too short to do the job well, then have to campaign again

• Expand BOS to five members
• Stagger terms
• Hire a professional Town Administrator or Manager

• Expand BOS to five members
• Extend to four-year terms
• Elect all five members at the same time
• Maximum of three from any one party
• Hire professional Town Administrator

• Increasingly complex technology and society; more State regulations.
• Town residency required for elected officials reduces potential staff pool
• Emergencies (COVID and other)
• Low state and federal grant yield: local taxes must cover expenses

• Hire professional Town Administrator or Manager
• Hire other professional staff

• Hire a professional Town Administrator who reports to BOS
• Expand BOS from three to five members
• Change from elected to hired staff: Tax Collector, Town Clerk, Treasurer (done last year)

• 2,800 registered Voters, but Town Meeting attendance is very low
• Often just a few voters make decisions for whole town – not representative of town-wide views

• Shared legislative authority (allow BOS to make some decisions/ordinance adoption without having to call a Town Meeting)

• BOS to have some legislative authority (such as ordinance adoption)
• Voters can petition to over-ride some BOS decisions via Town Meeting
• Voters can petition for Special Town Meeting for enactment of ordinances or other action
• Voters can petition for a referendum on actions properly brought before a Town Meeting – including for adoption of the Annual Town Budget

• Agencies range from 3 to 12
• Terms range from 2 to 6 years
• Some elected, some appointed
• Challenging to fill vacancies; low attendance
• Volunteers don’t want to run for office, reducing the candidate pool
• Difficult for unaffiliated to run for election
• Candidates often lack needed expertise
• In last 6 elections – over 80% of elected positions were un-opposed—voters don’t have choice

• Re-evaluate Board structures and membership

• Max seven members; no alternates
• Most Boards to have four-year terms
• Most Boards to be appointed
• 3/5 or 4/7 max from any one party

Notable Exceptions:

• The following will be ELECTED: Board of Selectmen; Financial Accountability Board; Region 4 Board of Education (six-year terms); Chester Board of Education; Registrars of Voters; Justices of Peace (State Statute)
• Alternates required by State Statute: Zoning Board of Appeals

• Improve budgeting processes
• Improve transparency in processes
• BOS executive responsibilities are not commensurate with their fiscal authority
• Most financial transactions require Board of Finance (BOF) approval – BOS cannot appeal to the voters BOF decisions

• Better align fiscal authorities
• Improve checks and balances
• Improve long-range planning

Currently:

• BOS (three members, elected)
  • Finance Director
• BOF (six members, plus three alternates, elected)
•  

• Revised framework for financial management and budget process
• BOS recommends Annual Town Budget to Financial Accountability Board (FAB) for their review and action
• FAB recommends Annual Town Budget for Public Hearing and adoption by Town Meeting; selects Auditor; sets mil rate
• Fiscal Advisory Committee (FAC) prepares long-range plan/budgets for BOS review

Proposed Charter:

• Board of Selectmen (BOS)
  • Five members, elected
  • Town Administrator & Finance Director
• Financial Accountability Board (FAB)
  • Five members, elected
• Fiscal Advisory Committee (FAC)
  • Eight members, specified by Charter