More Charter Review Suggestions

Below is a selection of suggestions submitted to the Charter Review Committee. In the coming weeks, the Groton Herald will publish more Charter suggestions in thumbnail summary form. The complete text of each suggestion can be found on the Town's website on the Charter Review committee's Homepage. The number in the title identifies each submission if you wish to identify the full text of the suggestion on the Charter Review Committee website.

Selectmen Should Draft Budget Priorities [Suggestion #104]

The Board of Selectmen should draft town budget priorities for the next year by August 31 of each fiscal year.

Justification: Without the executive branch of Town government (Board of Selectmen) formally involved in providing an understandable, specific and measurable set of budget priorities, the development of a fiscal year's budget lacks the proper leadership guidance and direction for its creation.

Clarify that Town Manager Is Not Part of Executive Branch [#81]

Remove the words "and a town manager" from the Section 1-4 of the Charter below. Section 1-4: reads: The administration of all the fiscal, prudential and municipal affairs of the town shall be vested in an executive branch headed by a board of selectmen and a town manager. The legislative powers shall be exercised by an open town meeting.

Justification: The Town Manager is the Chief Administrative Officer for the Town; he is not part of the Executive Branch. The elected selectmen/selectwomen, and only the elected selectmen/selectwomen, constitute the Executive Branch of Groton Town Government.

Create Financial Contract Negotiating Team [Suggestion #43]

This change suggests creating a Financial Contracting Team composed of one member of the Finance Committee, one member of the BoS and the Town Manager.

Justification: The Town Manager is the COO of the town and is responsible for supporting day-to-day operations. The Finance Committee is responsible for supporting the he financing goals of the town. Selectmen are responsible for supporting the objectives of the citizens of Groton. Representatives from these three differing advocacies help maintain a larger view of contact issues and provide a set of balances.

Add Goal of Balancing School and Municipal Spending [#128]

This proposal seeks general language in the Charter that a goal of the town budget would be to equitably balance the needs of municipal and school spending.

Justification : "Over the past 6 years the town of Groton has reduced our spending on education. Since 2010, our spending on education has grown at a rate of 1.1 percent a year, or nearly 50% below the rate of inflation, while we continue to make investments in "higher priorities" in town. This dramatic departure from the approach taken over the prior decade, when our spending on education was increasing consistently by nearly 5 percent a year, has land us dead last in education spending per capita amount 11 comparable towns."

Change: Human Resources Director Should Report to BoS, Not to Town Manager [#41]

The HR Director should report, be hired, reviewed and fired by BOS, rather than the Town Manager.

Justification: In most organizations the HR function is separated from the line management function. This change provides an independent voice when it comes to policy, negotiations and issues related to personnel. An independent HR Department provides an independent view outside of the line management structure for the handling of employee issues, problems and personal work-related concerns. Currently the HR Director reports to the Town Manager. This eliminates the separate channel for handling issues as well as an independent voice relative to policy issues.