Finance Director Christine Tewksbury described Article 18, a request to add one full‑time assistant finance director. Tewksbury said the finance office runs weekly payroll and accounts‑payable functions and that, at times this year, she was the only person performing critical weekly tasks. She told the committee the additional position would provide redundancy for payroll and payables, allow vacation and sick coverage, and create capacity for policy and fee analysis.

Tewksbury said the position would let the department undertake analysis of current fees and administrative processes, free senior staff to plan capital and financial strategy, and mitigate risk from single‑person knowledge in critical operations. The town council supported the request in its prior vote. Committee members asked whether outsourcing payroll or other services had been evaluated; Tewksbury said the town’s payroll is complex with multiple unions and departments and that outsourcing had not been fully vetted, but that an in‑house addition is the preferred approach to ensure institutional knowledge and continuity.

No committee vote was taken at the meeting; the article will be presented at the public hearing and placed on the warrant for voter consideration.