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OVERVIEW OF CHANGES
Most aspects of town government remains unaffected by the adoption of a Charter.
Open Town Meeting continues and ultimate authority over town matters remains invested
in an elected Board of Selectmen. The principal change associated with adoption
of the charter is the installation of a Town Manager and having most of the Town
employees report through the Town Manager.
I. Town Manager
The Charter provides for the creation of the position of Town Manager. With
this change, the existing position of Administrative Officer is eliminated and the
Town Manager assumes the day-to-day management of the workings of town government
(as outlined in Section 4-2 of the proposed Charter). Employees in most town departments
will report administratively to the Town Manager. The Town Manager will also hire/appoint
certain non-elected department heads, with the affirmative approval of the Board
of Selectmen (other positions, such as Police and Fire Chief will continue to be
appointed by the Board of Selectmen, as delineated in Section 3.2(d) of the proposed
Charter). (Also, some new appointments such as the Board of Assessors and Board
of Health will be done by the Selectmen.)
Under this new management structure, the Selectmen and other elected Boards will
set Town policy and the Town Manager will administer and manage the work
of the Town in accordance with those policies. By providing a clear reporting structure
and centralized decision-making, town government will become more efficient, accountable
and accessible.
II. Changes in Elected vs. Appointed Status
Based on input from many sources, it was decided that “policy-making” Boards should
be elected, whereas Boards whose principal function is administrative, or whose
members require specialized knowledge or expertise for the Board to function, should
be appointed. Policy-making is not the same as decision-making: a policy-making
Board elaborates guiding principles, and associated processes, that form the basis
for making day-to-day decisions in government. While elections reflect popular will,
and are mandatory where policy-making is a principal factor, the election process
must be open to all and cannot exclude candidates that lack the necessary qualifications
or technical skills required by certain Boards and positions. Furthermore, candidates
for elected Boards must be residents of the town, yet there can be no assurance
that qualified candidates with specialized skills will always be found among town
residents.
Although the Blue Ribbon Governance Committee proposed that the Board of Assessors,
the Board of Health, and the Highway Surveyor all be appointed, the proposed charter
was amended at the Fall Special Town meeting and all three of these positions will
remain elected.
III. Changes in Procedures and Appointed Boards
With the exception of the Board of Assessors, the Board of Health and the Highway
Surveyor, all other elected and appointed Boards remain in their present form. However,
the administrative management of municipal employees that presently “report” to
elected Boards, and the method of filling vacancies on certain appointed Boards,
will change in certain ways:
The Charter provides for all municipal employees, with few exceptions, to report
administratively to the Town Manager, creating a single, clear, reporting structure
and consistency in management and personnel policy throughout Groton’s municipal
government.
Under the proposed Charter, the Board of Selectmen will appoint the Town Manager,
Finance Committee, Town Counsel, a Zoning Board
of Appeals, and a Board of Registrars. Appointments to all
other appointed Boards will be made by the Town Manager. To provide the necessary
checks and balances, all appointments by the Town Manager must be approved by an
affirmative vote of the Board of Selectmen.
Under the proposed Charter, the Town Manager will screen and recommend candidates
for Police Chief and Fire Chief to the Board of Selectmen, who will make the final
decision on who to appoint.
There are no changes proposed for the School Committee or for the Commissioners
of Trust Funds, each of which remain elected.
The Library Trustees also remain elected. Consistent with state law, the Library
Director will continue to be appointed by the Library Trustees.
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