Plaistow selectmen form advisory committees to study two citizen petitions

The Plaistow Board of Selectmen on April 13 opened a preliminary review of two citizen petitions and agreed to form advisory committees to study each item and report back to the board.

Petitioner Holly Patterson, who sponsored both ballot petitions, told the board she was surprised there had been no outreach before discussion and asked to serve on any advisory committee. Patterson said the first petition — to change the charter position commonly called the town manager into an "administrator" model — was not a retaliatory action as had been suggested at deliberative session; she said she previously served on a board that used an administrator model and preferred that governance arrangement.

Committee structure and scope: board members proposed committees that would include the petitioner, up to two select board members (statutorily limited to two), a budget representative, two or three citizen members, and one or two employees (including someone versed in the town’s recently negotiated collective bargaining agreement where needed). Board members emphasized these committees are advisory: their role is to gather information and present findings and recommendations, not to enact policy directly.

Timing and next steps: the board asked staff to recruit interested citizens and aimed to identify committee membership by about May 15 and to have substantive findings or recommendations by mid-September to inform the budget process or any future ballot scheduling; a final fallback date of Nov. 1 was mentioned if ballot timing requires that schedule.

What petition two would cover: the petition to set town hall hours and require employees to work on-site drew discussion of operational detail — the town clerk can set her own hours as an elected official; staff and selectmen noted Human Resources and union contract implications would need HR and employee participation on the committee. Selectmen stressed the committee should include employees or experts on the town’s collective bargaining agreement to avoid violating negotiated terms.

Why it matters: the committees are intended to give voters and the board an information-based evaluation of governance structures and operational impacts, including cost implications for staffing and service hours. Chairwoman Liz Costa said the committees should help residents understand the practical differences between the two forms of local government instead of relying only on general impressions.

Provenance: the transcript records the petitioner’s public comment and the board’s discussion on committee composition, responsibilities, and timelines; the board designated selectmen Bill Koy and Tyler Shman to serve on the first committee and discussed similar membership for the second petition’s committee.

Next steps: staff will post interest notices, assemble committee bylaws or terms of reference, and notify the board of appointed members; committees are to return with information that the board can use ahead of fall budget and ballot deadlines.