Town of Douglas
Board of Selectmen

Proposed Special Act Establishing a Town Administrator and Finance Department

The Board of Selectmen and Executive Administrator have been working on the restructuring of Town government operations, based on conclusions of the Government Study Committee. A major component of this restructuring will be presented at Town Meeting on May 4, 2009. This item is referred to as a "Special Act."

The Special Act, if enacted in its current form, will make two general changes:

1. The role of Town Administrator will be formally established and defined. While the Town has had Administrators for years, the Act will formally define the responsibilities of this position. Those responsibilities will be very similar to those already in practice, with some added responsibilities relating to hiring of department heads and approval of regular bills to be paid.
   
   
2. A new Municipal Finance Department will be created, combining several existing departments including Accounting, Treasurer, Tax Collector, and Assessor. The Town Accountant will become the Municipal Finance Director (maintaining the duties of Town Accountant). The existing Town Treasurer and Tax Collector will remain in their current roles, but will change from elected to professional (hired) positions.

The broad purpose of these changes is to improve efficiency at the highest level of the government of the Town. No new positions will be added as a result of these changes.

The current draft of the Special Act (dated April 8, 2009) is available here (PDF).

The April 8 revision adds language adds language regarding approval process as recommended by Town Counsel.

A prior draft of the Special Act (dated March 18, 2009) is available here (PDF). All residents are encouraged to read this important document.

The March 18 revision includes changes based on input from staff and citizens. The changes clarify the process for suspension of the Town Administrator, strengthen the job qualifications for the Town Administrator and Finance Director positions, refine the transition process for the Assistant Assessor position, and make minor changes recommended by Town Counsel.

The prior draft of the Special Act (dated February 18, 2009) is available for comparison (PDF).

The Board of Selectmen continues to refine the proposed Special Act based on input from interested parties. The Board held a Public Hearing on the proposed Special Act during its regular meeting on Tuesday, March 17, 2009. Those with additional comments are encouraged to contact the Selectmen's office at 508-476-4000 x350.

This is referred to as a Special Act due to the method of implementing these changes, as defined by State Law. An affirmative vote at Town Meeting forwards a request to the State Legislature to approve and for the Governor to sign the Act into law. It is common for the Legislature to require the Act to come before voters at a Town Election, most likely at the Annual Town Election in May of 2010, for final approval.