The most recent Board of Selectmen meeting covered more ground then I could find time to write about last week. Fortunately, Southborough Wicked Local covered two of the agenda items for us. (Stay tuned for my story tomorrow on the update from Public Works.)
Town manager proposal back on the table
Last winter, Kolenda asked to bring a Town Manager Article back to Annual Town Meeting. He pitched fellow board members that he’d like to see the Town Administrator have more authority to act without the board for efficiency (and shorter agendas). In March, the majority of Selectmen determined more time was needed to examine the pros and cons and hear from residents. They agreed working on that would be one of their priorities in FY19.
The item was back on last Wednesday’s agenda. SWL writes:
Selectmen are once again looking to bring a measure to Town Meeting to switch to a town manager form of municipal management.
The board will create a committee to look into the switch. Selectman Dan Kolenda will draft a charge for the committee and present it at a future meeting.
“The majority of the board supported moving forward with that at our goal-setting meeting,” said selectmen Chairwoman Lisa Braccio during a board meeting Wednesday night.
The article went on to provide some historical background on the Town’s previous attempt to make the change in 2012. You can read that here.
You can look back at past blog coverage about the Town Manager legislation initiative here.
When the legislation was initially addressed, the Town Administrator was a weaker role. It required the 3-member Board of Selectmen to shoulder a bigger burden. In 2013, a compromise initiative that passed beefed up the Town Administrator’s authority. (Articles granted him authorization to sign payables, vouchers, etc and made him the supervisor of departments that report to selectmen.) The board of selectmen was also expanded. You can read about that here.
Southborough Golf Club to close early
Based on the projected date – make that “closed early”. One challenge the Town has grappled with was building the new Public Safety Complex while keeping the former St. Mark’s Golf Course open. Although they weren’t able to fully keep that promise – it looks like selectmen were only forced to close the course a couple of weeks early.
While the town and its golf management company figured out how to operate the course during construction of a new combined police and fire station on the property, the land where the temporary trailer is located is needed for a sediment basin, according to selectmen Chairwoman Lisa Braccio. The basin is needed for crews to bring the foundation to grade.
The golf course is operated and maintained by New England Golf Corp. of Westwood.
“The basin being at the location of the temporary trailer at the golf course, they have agreed to close on Nov. 12 instead of the contractual date we had of Nov. 30,” Braccio said. The town in February renamed the St. Mark’s Golf Club to the Southborough Golf Club, which documents show is its original name.
The board voted Wednesday night to waive the company’s $1,000 rent.
You can read the rest here.
