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Harbormaster and Select Board spar over what counts as a "transaction" log for mooring assignments
Summary
The board and harbormaster disagreed over whether the posted mooring reassignment list satisfies a bylaw-mandated transaction log; the harbormaster said the underlying Access database contains the audit trail and agreed to propose a producible transaction-format in writing.
An extended exchange at the Select Board meeting centered on how the town should publish a mooring-assignment "transaction" report required by bylaw and what constitutes a public, audit-friendly transaction log.
Several board members said the posted mooring reassignment list shows outcomes but does not provide a standalone transaction log that traces adds, changes or deletions with dates and reasons. One board member said a true transaction log should include the action (add/change/delete), the date of action and the date the person entered the waiting list so auditability is clear.
Harbormaster Bayan responded that the town's Access database contains the full archived data and that the reports posted online are result views; "None of the three [software products] can produce what you want... these reports that I post, they all come from the existing Access database," Bayan said. The board directed staff to provide, in writing, an amended transaction-format they can reasonably produce from current records (or recommend a bylaw change if necessary).
