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Town manager warns against shifting solid-waste oversight to joint board; suggests negotiating with Woodstock
Summary
The town manager told the Select Board a proposed intermunicipal agreement would shift control of solid-waste operations away from the Lincoln town manager to a joint board, creating staff-reporting and parity issues; he recommended the two select boards meet to negotiate changes under the existing contract before making governance changes.
The town manager (speaker 5) told the Select Board that a proposed intermunicipal solid-waste agreement before the board appears to shift operational oversight from the town manager to a joint board, and he warned that change could create reporting confusion and employee parity issues.
The manager said the 2019 agreement had given the Lincoln town manager clear oversight and that the suggested new language represents “a complete 180” from past practice by creating a joint board model where staff might report to multiple authorities. He described prior examples where similar governance structures complicated operations and employee parity. “It looks like the proposal that came in front of you that day was a complete 1 80, from previous agreements, and it looks like there was a desire to go forward with a joint board,” he said.
Board members agreed that Woodstock’s increased desire for involvement in decision-making is understandable, and they discussed ways to improve communication and collaboration without immediately changing governance. The town manager recommended a targeted meeting between the two select boards to identify specific changes or reporting protocols that could be addressed under the existing contract before spending legal fees to rework governance.
The board asked the manager to coordinate with Woodstock and propose meeting dates so both boards can work through concerns and limit legal costs.
