Planning Board presses for bylaw changes to clarify Town Administrator authority and protect volunteer boards

Planning Board Chair Casey Howard and member Ben Robinson told the Finance & Advisory Committee that recent Town Administrator personnel decisions—such as instructing the Planning Board agent to report to the Building Inspector—had prompted bylaw amendment proposals to clarify the relationship between the Town Administrator and elected or appointed boards.

The Planning Board proposed inserting requirements for written permission from an affected body in personnel procedures and requiring consultation before personnel changes. The Board argued that volunteer boards carry institutional knowledge and that unilateral personnel reassignments demoralize volunteers and undermine Town Meeting‑era governance traditions. The Planning Board also noted the Master Plan recommended creating a Director of Planning within a three‑to‑five year horizon and said some changes might be premature. FinCom members recommended the Select Board and Planning Board meet or consider mediation; Rachel Orr moved to send a letter encouraging such dialogue and the motion passed unanimously.

"The article(s) were precipitated by Town Administrator actions without notice to or communication with the Board," the record states; the Planning Board had filed an Open Meeting Law concern and is seeking clearer bylaw language to require consultation and to refer dispute resolution to the Select Board.