Link back to Government Study Committee page

Government Study Committee
Meeting Minutes

January 25, 2011 Meeting Minutes

Present:  Judith Cole; Phil Edmundson; Edna English; Scott Ford; Irma Lauter; Alec Macmillan; Eva Marx
Absent:   

Chair Judith Cole called the meeting to order at 7:36PM in the Town Hall Building.

The Committee approved the minutes from the December 7, 2010 meeting.

Mrs. Cole called for additions to the “Areas of Potential Investigation”.  The additions are shown on Attachment A. 

Mrs. Cole led an exercise to group items shown on Attachment A.  Five groupings were created:

1. Phase I – A. Executive Functions B. Legislative Functions C. Regionalization
2. Phase II – Other Executive and Administrative Functions –
3. Organization of Town Departments (Town/School/HMLP)
4. Review organization and mission of Town Boards and Committees
5. Quality of Town Government

Attachment B provides the detail associated with each grouping.

The committee discussed the ordering of the Phases and agreed that it would review the phases sequentially.”

Mrs. Cole informed the group that the Committee would initially concentrate of Group I.  She requested members to prepare questions relating to entries within Group I.

Irma Lauter informed the group that the Survey sub-committee would require funding to allow analysis of the Survey results.

The following suggestions were made for future agenda items:

• Ted Alexiades interview
• Dot Galo interview and School Committee Chair Linda Hill
• Steve Dempsey and the DPW – Sewer merger Warrant Article
• Warrant Article Review for 2011 Annual Town Meeting and potential GSC input.

The next meeting will be on February 16, 2011 at 7:00PM.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:11PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Irma Lauter

Town of Hingham
Government Study Committee
December 7, 2010 and January 25, 2011
Attachment A Version 2
Areas of Potential Investigation

• Is the current form of Town Government meeting the Town’s needs efficiently and effectively?
• Size of Board of Selectmen.
• Treasurer/Collector – Elected or Appointed –
• Organization of the Town Finance Department.
• Consolidation of the Town and School business offices functions.
• Conduct of Town Meeting
• How is the new Community Planning Office working?
• Past GSC recommendation – merge DPW and Sewer Departments
• Role of Town Administrator (Town Manager)
• Term Limits – Elected/Appointed
• Regionalization
• Organization Chart
• Identify Committee redundancies
• Provide orientation to new appointees; clarify responsibilities and interdepartmental relationships (from Energy Action Committee)
• Warrant Articles – consider GSC endorsement:
• Permanent Building Committee
• Conduct of Town meeting
• Warrant Article Protocol
• Consolidation:
• HR Function
• Custodial
• IT (Town, School, HMLP)
• Facilities management
• Fields Management
• Vehicle Maintenance
• Transparency in Town Government – given technology, should the Town make its business more transparent?
• Development Officer (Town grant writer)
• Water Supply Board Appointments
• Public Safety Department: Police; Fire; Dispatch; Harbormaster; Board of Health; Emergency Management
• Bathing Beach governance
• Planning Board recommend limiting AdCom review of Zoning By-law changes
• Accountability between DPW and LRWDR Committee (submitted by LRWDR)
• Energy Action Committee – responsible for school department energy needs/uses (submitted by EAC)
• Cable Advisory Committee – BOS establish authority to operate a public access channel
• Elected vs. Appointed
• Treasurer/Collector
• Assessors
• Recreation Commission
• Planning Board
• Board of Health
• Light Board
• Delivery of Service/Customer Service/Business Process

Additions from the January 25, 2011 GSC Meeting:

• Charter
• Move bargaining with the School unions to the Personnel Board
• Move all hiring/firing to the Town Chief Executive Officer (TA/TM)
• Move all purchasing back to the TA/TM office
• Identify all redundant Committees/Boards
• Sunset Committees
• Proliferation of Committees
• Combine School and Town functions – HR, finance, etc
• Consistent salary grades, job descriptions, pay across Town, School and HMLP
  

Town of Hingham
Government Study Committee
January 25, 2011
Attachment B
Grouping - Areas of Potential Investigation

1. Phase I – Executive, Legislative and Administrative Functions and Form of Town Government

2. Phase II - Executive and Administrative Functions

3. Organization of Town Departments (Town/School/HMLP)

4. Review organization and mission of Town Boards and Committees

5. Quality of Town Government