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Select Board to meet with finance consultant after resident concerns about payment timing; executive-session personnel follow-ups agreed
Summary
Residents raised concerns about late or missed payments and the town's use of a contracted finance consultant. The board defended separation-of-duties practices and agreed to internal meetings with the consultant, to review job descriptions and to schedule annual employee reviews after executive session.
Concerns from a resident about late payments, missed recycling pickups and an instance where Blue Cross Blue Shield nearly faced termination prompted a lengthy discussion about the town’s financial operations and the role of a contracted financial consultant (identified in the session as Nicholas, working via a Unify contract). Residents asked what the consultant does and why some invoices were late; board members said the consultant handles accounts payable and online accounting entries and that separation of purchasing and payment duties was a deliberate practice to reduce risk.
The board said it would schedule internal working meetings with the finance consultant and town staff to clarify responsibilities and improve communication. On returning from executive session, the board reported three personnel-related actions: (1) hold a meeting with the finance team (including Nicholas and the town clerk) to ensure clear responsibilities, (2) review and update job descriptions, and (3) schedule annual employee reviews in June/July to clarify roles. The board emphasized its goal is transparency and clear communication rather than secrecy.
