Selectmen hold workshop with Government Study Committee
Committee nears submission of final report
BY MARY LANCASTER
It has been nearly two years since Town Meeting voters approved Curtis Barnes' citizen's article to form a group specifically investigating how well island government functions in its present form, how it could be changed to improve its effectiveness and efficiency and be run as financially lean as practically feasible.

As that anniversary nears, last Thursday the Town Government Study Committee sat down with selectmen to review the articles it is submitting for this April's Town Meeting consideration as well as a list of 33 recommendations it proposes that do not require warrant articles and nine points the committee believes need further discussion. The TGSC met with Town Administrator Libby Gibson at its Jan. 22 session to review the recommendations with her before bringing in the board.

On Monday, Feb. 19 at 4:30 p.m. the committee will give a presentation to the public at an event sponsored at the Atheneum by the Nantucket Civic League. On March 7, the committee's final report with elaboration on all the recommendations will be provided for the selectmen's packets prior to a public overview to that board at its Feb. 14 televised meeting. The report will include detail on how the entire form of island government may need to change as the population and accompanying service demand grows.

Though Barnes was not subsequently appointed to the sevenmember TGSC, he has attended many of its meetings over the last year and a-half and is pleased with the work it has done.

"I am very, very pleased with the way the group has worked," said Barnes, praising chairman Allen Reinhard for his patience, attention to detail and ability to lead the committee. "They have been very gracious to let me sit in, but I haven't given too much input because they're doing such a good job.

"I think the charter needs periodic review because things change," he said, alluding to one of the committee's warrant articles. "To have a system is good government and with having financial planning with departments working together. In the long range, this is one town and one community and I think [the committee] is working toward that. From my perspective, giving the Town Administrator more credibility like upgrading the title to Town Manager, and financial planning is essential.

"The scope of what we call public works is so big now it needs to be restructured," Barnes added, referring to one of the committee's recommendations. "I think the next time around we will be addressing Town Meeting and government structure as critical issues. In the meantime, we are moving toward a more efficient government. I will support the entire program at Town Meeting. I am 100 percent behind what the committee did."

Reinhard, who will author the final report and make it available to voters before Town Meeting, was also satisfied with the outcome of Thursday's workshop.

"I was very pleased with the meeting," said Reinhard. "The real work of our committee is to study government and make recommendations to improve government. I felt this was the next step - to bring forth how we arrived at these decisions."

The warrant articles propose a five year government review; to change the Town Administrator's title to Town Manager; to delete the Personnel Board and Our Island Home board from the town charter; to mandate, rather than leave flexible, having a town audit committee; to improve the committee appointment process; to place limits on town employees becoming members of the selectmen; and to make members of the Shellfish and Harbor Advisory Board, the Historic District Commission and the Nantucket Planning Board appointed rather than elected officials.

In the Jan. 22 session with Gibson, the TGSC learned that several of their recommendations have already been undertaken, so the language of those subjects will be altered to include the words "continue to" in the listings. During discussion with the board, at which the committee stressed that it is still accepting ideas from the public, interim selectman Catherine Stover said she would like to see a moraleboosting recognition program for municipal employees who contribute ideas that save the town money and may improve the quality of island life.

Other than recommendations already initiated, which the TGSC will seek to have continued, highlights of the committee's suggestions include developing a comprehensive orientation program for committee and board members; development of an organizational chart explaining roles and responsibilities of Planning Board and Planning Commission members as they relate to the selectmen and administration; to include adequate conference and meeting space in plans for municipal facilities and to provide more audio and video broadcasts of public meetings.

They also include hiring of a grant writer for community programs; examination of town staffing requirements on a seasonal basis; creation of a focus group to study municipal employee health care costs which may incorporate universal coverage for uninsured residents; coordinate and streamline the town's building, health, historic district and zoning application processes; televise pre-Town Meeting sessions of the Finance Committee and Planning Board; develop a policy to avoid time conflicts with town employees serving on boards and committees; and strengthening the town's code enforcement.

The nine points the committee believes merit further investigation are:

+ Replacement of the selectmen with a hired or elected mayoral government and council that would have in its scope the selectmen's, administrator's or manager's posts and Town Meeting in a restructuring of all three government aspects.

+ A representative Town Meeting based on neighborhood representation from area associations which meet on a regular basis.

+ Having a full-time, paid Board of Selectmen.

+ Holding run-off elections when races include multiple candidates.

+ Change the Nantucket Housing Authority and Steamship Authority representatives from elected to appointed officials.

+ Increase the selectmen from five to seven members with the addition of two, one-year terms.

+ Consider changing the time and daily schedule of Annual Town Meeting.

+ Require a three-person majority for selectmen's decisions.

+ Consider the future term and role of the TGSC, such as to assist in educating the community on proposed changes or

help implement recommendations. I