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Select Board reviews proposed charter revisions, including manager residency and local-option tax language
Summary
Select Board and charter review committee discussed a suite of proposed charter changes, including manager appointment by contract, nonpartisan language, residency/bond language, updates to appointment authority, and optional enabling language for a local-option tax; committee will refine changes and schedule public hearings.
Members of the Select Board and the charter review committee used the May 12 meeting for a work session to walk through proposed charter revisions. Topics included whether the town manager should be appointed by contract, whether the manager and certain officers should be explicitly nonpartisan, bond and residency provisions for the manager, department head appointment authority, record-keeping and archiving responsibilities, and timing and notice requirements for town meetings and elections.
Committee members and board members discussed balancing descriptive versus prescriptive language, how zoning- and planning-related appointment authority should comport with state law, and the practical effect of changing residency requirements for the manager. The committee also explored asking the legislature to enable regional centers to adopt a local-option tax and included flexible charter language to allow towns to vote on future local-option revenues if state statute permits.
The committee agreed to refine flagged items, incorporate suggested clarifications, and coordinate public hearings with election timing so informational materials and hearings are accessible to voters. No charter changes were adopted at the May 12 session; the Select Board anticipates further committee meetings and public hearings before any vote.
