Millis Finance Committee elects new chair, vice chair and clerk

Mike Cone was elected chair of the Millis Finance Committee at the body’s June 10 meeting, succeeding outgoing chair John Lauren.

At the meeting, Cone outlined his qualifications and experience, saying, “I served on the finance committee in the town of Westwood for 5 years … I’ve been on this committee for about three and a half years now, serving as vice chair this year,” and that he “would very much look forward to to chairing this committee in the next fiscal year.” A motion to elect Cone as chair was moved and seconded and the members voted in favor (tally not specified in the transcript). George read the motion before the vote.

The committee also elected Eric Martinson as vice chair. Martinson said he would “serve as vice chair … mostly to do more for the committee” and to support the chair. After discussion, the committee held a roll-call-style vote and the transcript records the result as 8 in favor and 1 opposed, electing Martinson as vice chair effective at the adjournment of the June 10 meeting.

Joyce Bardi was elected clerk to serve in the coming fiscal year. A motion to elect Bardi was moved and seconded and members responded in the affirmative in sequence; the transcript does not record a numeric tally for that vote (tally not specified).

Members used the officer-selection discussion to emphasize succession planning and onboarding for newer members. Outgoing chair John Lauren, who said he was finishing his three-year term, urged a focus on continuity and training: “my goal is to make things more efficient, streamline, work on the communication aspect of things, have older as well as newer members participate more,” he said, encouraging outreach to fill two anticipated vacancies.

The town administrator thanked the committee for its work on the budget process and for collaborating with administration, saying, “there’s no such thing as a perfect budget or town meeting process, but this year is one of the closest I’ve come to it.”

Committee business also included approval of prior meeting minutes and liaison updates. Members noted community preservation allocations, including $200,000 from housing funds for a project at 1178 Main Street and funding from the community preservation resource funds for a school scoreboard.

On recruitment, members described the planned process for filling two vacancies: post openings on the town website and newsletters, consider broader outreach (mailers or social-media notices subject to the town’s social media policy), collect applicant names, hold interviews, and forward recommendations to the moderator, who makes the final appointment. The committee noted a summer window (June–August) to solicit applicants before fall meetings resume.

The meeting adjourned after the new officers were elected.