HomeMy Public PortalAbout05-08-2012 Personnel Committee reportCommittee on Personnel and Town Organization - May 1, 2012
Meeting Minutes
The Committee on Personnel and Town Organization met on Tuesday, May 1, 2012 at
4:30 in the Council Office. Present at the meeting were Councilors Falkoff (chair), Lenk, Vice
Chair, and Corbett, Secretary. Also present were Council President Sideris, Phyllis Marshall and
Michael Driscoll from the Town, Charlie Breitrose and Erin Baldassari, from the media, Ernesta
Kraczkiewicz, resident, and Stephen McGoldrick, Michael Ward, and Bob Haley, from the
Collins Center.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the Town's organizational structure and how
to go about evaluating whether it can be improved. Representatives from the Collins Center,
an Institute associated with UMass that specializes in public management, were invited to
participate in the discussion. As background, Mr. Driscoll distributed a list of department
heads, the current organizational chart, and the proposed 2013 town budget. He also noted
that one of the town's budget policy guidelines is to explore the possibility of sharing various
management functions between the schools and the general government.
Mr. McGoldrick, the Deputy Director for the Center, presented some general
information about the Collins Center. It's staffed by both full and part-time employees some of
whom are former municipal officials with extensive experience in all areas of local
government. The Center has conducted over 100 studies covering everything from charter
reform, to structural analysis, to training and education. Its goal is to provide low-cost
assistance to municipalities in all facets of management and governance.
Various attendees made the following comments: the number of direct reports to the
Manager is too large for proper span of control; the town doesn't have a CFO, the CEO
essentially fills that role; the public works department needs an in-depth analysis of
organizational isssues; should we have an assistant town manager?; facilities management and
code enforcement need to be addressed; should the organization be evaluated from the top
down or the bottom up?
Mr. McGoldrick indicated that their usual approach involves developing a
descriptive profile of operations through department head interviews and review of other
source material, in order to find out who's doing what throughout the organization. Then they meet
with a steering committee to identify potential changes based on criteria such as overhead reduction,
appropriate span of control, and the need for accountability.
The alternatives can be prioritized and possibly phased in, based on what's feasible. Councilor
Lenk noted that change can be very disruptive and particular attention must be given to
minimizing any stress associated with re -organization.
The Committee unanimously approved the following motion: We request the Collins
Center to develop a Scope of Work to perform two studies for the town: an analysis of the
Department of Public Work's organizatonal structure and an evaluation of the town's overall
organizational structure. The Center staff feels that the two studies can be conducted
simultaneously. The committee will discuss the proposal at a follow-up meeting on May 10,
2012 at 7:15 pm in the Council office.
Respectfully Submitted, Stephen Corbett, Secretary