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Date: 7/17/2019
HAMPDEN – The question of a replacement Town Administrator was discussed at the June 10 Hampden Select Board meeting. It was the third meeting outgoing Town Administrator Mary McNally has not attended since abruptly issuing her resignation at the end of June.
Selectman Donald Davenport asked Select Board Chair John Flynn to relay a message to McNally that if she will miss a meeting she should let the Board know and that her attendance was compulsory according to her contract.
“My thinking is we need to get some kind of report from her,” Davenport said. “A document that says, ‘This is where we are, this is what we’ve done.’”
Davenport also laid out what he saw as the three options for the town. They could choose to run without a Town Administrator “for a while.” He suggested they ask the department heads, “what they see as value in the administrator,” role.
The town could also choose a committee to find a new administrator, or hire a professional search firm. The last time the town searched for an administrator, they received 35 resumes, interviewed seven applicants, narrowed it down to two candidates and hired McNally. If the Board were to hire a headhunting firm, instead of going through the trouble themselves, but it could be costly. According to Y Scouts, an executive search firm, headhunters charge between 20 percent and 35 percent of the estimated annual salary of the professional they are finding.
Davenport said that he is in favor of hiring a search firm after the town government completes an in-house assessment. An exit interview of McNally was also suggested to see what should be changed on the town’s end.
Mary Ellen Glover, who is running to replace Norman Charest as a member of the Select Board said that while large companies and organizations can hire based solely on qualifications, “When you’re in a small community, you hire on personality.” She said it is important that everyone gets along.
“I’m extremely disappointed that she’s gone. She was working for the people,” said resident Heather Turcotte. “I know change is hard but we need structure in the town.”
The Select Board reviewed the ongoing studies for the highway and fire departments. A position on the Fire Chief Committee still needs to be filled. The committee currently consists of Fire Department personnel, Captain Patrick Farrow, Sharon Paquette, and Meagan Rogers. The Select Board is looking to fill out the committee with a member of the public. Davenport clarified the purpose of the committee was to draft specifications for the Fire Chief position.
“Do we want it to be a part-time paid position, a full-time paid position?” Davenport gave as examples.
A timeline for the Highway Department building addition project was laid out. Bids on the project will be received through July. After 30 days, the contract will be awarded and construction is likely to begin by March or April.
Flynn reported that Police Chief Jeff Farnsworth was still obtaining quotes on a replacement emergency radio system for the failing one the town currently uses. The quotes are between $39,000 and $30,000, Flynn said. The Select Board also endorsed 16 routine policy changes proposed by the Police Department.
An ADA representative must be appointed by the Board in order to be eligible for the state’s ADA Improvement Grant program. Any parties interested in the unpaid position should contact the Board of Selectmen.
The Board discussed the Hampden mini-mall and the temporary septic system that it has been using. The current system is too small for the business’ stated needs. Flynn said that the mini-mart can apply for a waiver for a smaller system by submitting paperwork outlining its usage requirement, but also noted that they are long past the acceptable timeframe for the temporary system.
“If they’re going to get a waiver, they need to get it now,” Davenport said, to which Flynn agreed.
The Advisory Committee, along with Town Accountant Cliff Bombard, joined the Select Board to discuss what Flynn called “typical end of the year,” transfers that are generally done to balance the budget before the fiscal year closes.
“Cliff has done a terrific job keeping us whole,” Flynn said of Bombard.
“We had clerical issues, but we used clerical accounts that hadn’t been touched fully to off-set that,” Bombard explained while giving a summary of the proposed transfers that he and the Advisory Committee had worked out. The Board approved the transfers.
Flynn stated that the Board would be reaching out to Valley Communications of Chicopee to acquire a microphone system to use at meetings. Difficulty hearing Select Board members and those who have appointments with the Board has been an ongoing complaint from the residents and members of the press who attend the meetings. Flynn said that he believes a microphone system would be used by other departments as well, including the Planning Board and the Advisory Committee.