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Selectmen extend part-time IT director's contract for one year amid debate over backup and conflict concerns
Summary
After a lengthy discussion about outsourcing town IT services, cybersecurity and conflict-of-interest questions, the board voted 3-1-1 to extend the part-time IT director's contract for one year while he works on a backup plan; the vote followed debate about managed-service bids and long-term costs.
The Board of Selectmen voted to extend the town's part-time IT director's contract for one year and directed him to present a plan for backup coverage and options to procure managed IT services.
Board members spent more than an hour reviewing responses to a managed-service RFQ that proposed three distinct approaches: a co-managed model the board scored highest, a full-replacement model with a large upfront migration cost, and a more expensive, fully managed offering. Vendors differed on whether they would migrate the town off existing Google services, the scale of cybersecurity controls and how much on-site support they would provide.
The incumbent IT director (long-serving contractor) described his current proactive maintenance and said he would continue work if the board extended his contract while he explores backup options and potential shared-service arrangements with neighboring jurisdictions and partners. The director also said he had extensive institutional knowledge and that key town processes are not well-documented, which increases risk when staffing changes.
At the meeting several selectmen raised conflict-of-interest concerns because the town IT director is also a sitting member (and chair) of the Selectmen board; one member said the arrangement raises "red flags" and referenced prior legal advice, while others said legal counsel previously found the arrangement not strictly prohibited but recommended a backup plan. The board also discussed cost trade-offs: a comprehensive managed-service contract would require voter approval and could cost roughly $36,000+ per year for vendor services plus additional cyber controls; a co-managed option would be cheaper but depends on a reliable on-site or contracted backup.
After discussion, a motion to extend the director's contract for one year and require him to present viable backup options passed 3-1-1. The board minutes record the vote as 3 in favor, 1 opposed, 1 abstention.
