General Questions
How long will the charter process likely take?
The
charter was approved at last fall’s Special Town Meeting,
the State Legislature and Governor have approved it, and now it awaits a town-wide election
this spring.
How much will the installation of a Town Manager cost the town?
The basic salary
difference between the present Administrative Officer position and a Town Manager
might range between $20,000 and $50,000. Other costs, such as the cost of adding
a Finance Director, would be additional, but only if adopted in the future. In the
long run, such changes would only be justified if their costs were more than offset
by improvements in government efficiency.
Will hiring a Town Manager change our form of Open Town Meetings?
Absolutely not.
Open Town Meeting remains unchanged. All Groton voters will continue to be able
to participate in, speak, propose amendments and vote at Town Meetings. Contrary
to a few rumors, there is nothing in the proposed Charter, or any proposal of any
kind, suggesting a change to a “representative” form of Town Meeting.
Questions
on Elected vs. Appointed Positions
What criteria are you using to determine is someone should be elected or appointed/hired?
In general, it
was decided that Boards whose principal function is “policy-making” 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.
See the “Overview of Changes” section for more information.
Doesn't the proposal take away some of my rights in a democracy by not letting me
elect as many people to be part of the government?
Not really. It
is unlikely, for example, that adding the Town Accountant to the roster of elected
officials would represent an expansion of our democratic rights or an improvement
in municipal governance – in fact, electing a well-meaning, but unqualified, person
into such a position would likely do more harm than good. The few positions
that were recommended to become appointed were those which were not
principally engaged in setting municipal policy and which also require specialized
skills, experience and knowledge. All “policy-making” positions
remain elected. No changes were made to which positions were appointed or elected, however.
Questions on Legislation
Why do you prefer using the "Special Legislation" approach over the formal "Charter
Commission" approach?
The Special Legislation
approach (Town meeting approval, followed by state action, followed by town-wide
election) is faster and more efficient than a charter commission.
Questions on Transition
What will happen with currently elected officials whose jobs become appointed?
They will serve
out the remainder of their elected term at which time the position would be subject
to appointment. Practically speaking, the Town Manager will want to give strong
consideration to those people who can perform the job competently, and if the elected
official has done so, they will be reappointed. It is also worth noting that town
positions are not 'tenured' and that an elected official serves at the pleasure
of the voters and can be voted out of office even if they are performing their responsibilities
with competence. Finally, there is no change in which positions are elected or appointed.
Although theBlue Ribbon Governance Committee recommended some changes here,
these recommendations were amended at Town Meeting so that no changes were made in this area.
How will the Town transition to the new charter?
Gradually. This
process is covered in Article 8 of the Charter, but basically all town by-laws or
other forms of regulation not specifically changed by the Charter, will remain in
effect. All town officals and departments will continue to perform their duties
and responsibilities. Within 90 days of the charter being approved at Town Election,
the Selectmen will appoint a committee to examine existing town by-laws to make
the necessary revisions to bring them into conformance with the provisions of the
Charter. This committee would then submitt a report for action at the next Spring
Town Meeting.