Government Study Committee releases final report
BY MARY LANCASTER INDEPENDENT WRITER
At tonight's selectmen's meeting the board will hear a presentation of the final report from the Town Government Study Committee, complete with explanations behind its nine Town Meeting articles, a list of advisory recommendations and issues raised by the committee it believes need further study before going to the voters.

Aside from three articles seeking to have the Planning Board, Historic District Commission and Shellfish and Harbor Avisory Board appointed instead of elected, some of the most interesting topics are among those suggested for study such as changing the Town Meeting format.

Though the report was authored by TGSC chairman Allen Reinhard and reflects the group's consensus, each committee member has issues they feel are most important. They also agree that while there is more work the committee could do, in the last year and a-half it has fulfilled its initial mandate to examine local government for ways to improve its structure and delivery of services.

"I don't feel as though [the committee's mission] is a task one can wrap a bow on and say it's done. It's an ongoing thing, but I think we've done pretty much what was requested," said Pam Lohmann. "Though the articles will get a lot of attention, there are a lot of good ideas in the recommendations. Some are already being implemented, and if they continue to be implemented they will have a significant effect."

Lohmann said she personally favors the Town Meeting article limiting the scope of the selectmen's employment with the town to avoid the appearance of or actual conflict of interest. She, too, prioritizes the proposals to appoint the Planning Board, HDC and SHAB.

"It would facilitate more coherent town policy," she said. "I think one of the objections people have is that the [appointed people] should be accountable to the voters, but they would still be accountable because the voters elect the selectmen. For the regulatory boards, it's not a popularity contest and this would give the board the opportunity to seek out the people with expertise."

Lohmann further believes the recommendation calling for a review of the Department of Public Works' structure is important to ensure the DPW receives the necessary resources to keep pace with growing responsibilities and infrastructure expansion.

"It's not just that, but addressing the island's infrastructure needs to deal with the current ones and anticipate the future requirements," said Lohmann, who also favors a recommendation to find ways to televise more significant public meetings. "Public government meetings should be accessible to residents. Informed citizenship is key to good government."

Under issues for further study, Lohmann said she supports the concept of a three-person majority for selectmen's decisions which includes a suggested waiver policy for situations that are considered time-sensitive. She noted that while many people urged the committee to press for a change to a mayor and city council to replace the selectmen and Town Meeting, the committee felt there were too many complex points to consider to move toward that goal too quickly, including whether elected representatives would become the legislative body or whether the island would be divided into precincts.

In that vein, another topic sugggested for further study is changing the day and time of Town Meeting, possibly holding it on Saturday with four oneand a-half hour sessions punctuated with breaks and made accessible by childcare provisions. The selectmen are encouraged to consider new times for the meeting and ways to encourage public participation.

"Generally, I would hope the voters will look at the advisory suggestions carefully and that our proposals will be taken seriously and adopted," said Lohmann.

TGSC member Jeanette Topham believes some of the recommendations could be combined, but overall feels the group fulfilled the tasks assigned it.

"I think there is more we can still do, but basically I think we accomplished our mission," she said. "Hopefully, we will have served some purpose to the community. We're not a small town anymore so we have to think bigger. I think we've been fairly thorough and we've met with [the town administrator] to get her input and find out some work has been done on some things."