Mayor apologizes and asks that disputed public works staff report be retracted

The mayor opened the meeting by apologizing for language in a public works staff report and asking the council to retract the item from the packet and replace it on the website. He said the report "should never have been drafted and shared in the packet" and that it "does not reflect the town's experience of the good work that Mark and his family do for the town." He asked the council to disregard the portions of the report he described as "grossly inaccurate."

Public Works Coordinator Simpson told the council he prepared the report from the records to which he had access and said he "do[es] not have access to anything, past 2021." Simpson said he could review additional paper records if staff located them. Administrator Canfield told the council the final packet had been published quickly (the attorney "did not have eyes on the final packet this time because of the time it went out at 10:44PM on a Thursday") and described internal staff discussions about cost‑saving reviews that prompted the report.

Council members pressed for a process change so staff reports with substantive assertions are checked before publication. One councilor said service providers who are town residents should be contacted privately if there are contract performance concerns rather than having those concerns appear in a public packet. The mayor reiterated that, based on the staff explanation, the report came from a financial‑savings review rather than a claim that contracted work was being performed poorly.

Looking ahead, the mayor asked staff to remove the disputed report from the public packet and update the posted materials; Administrator Canfield offered to review and, where appropriate, request corrections. The council did not take a separate formal vote on an immediate retraction during the meeting; the mayor's request was made on the record for staff direction.