New Staff at the Office of Building, Health & Conservation

After receiving 22 applications, and interviewing three finalists, Tom Wingard the Building Inspector, Pat Pajaron the Health & Conservation Agent, and I agreed that Nicole Kirkton is the best candidate to fill the Office Assistant position.  Nicole, who goes by Nicki, will start work on October 15th.  She has worked previously for the CCNS and Town of Dennis.  Some of you may know her also from her position at Eastham Veterinary Hospital.   She resides in Orleans.  Also, you may recall that Noelle Scoullar, who previously held the Office Assistant position, has been promoted as an Executive Assistant in the Administration Office.

Open Meeting Law Training

Jack Dolan, our Labor Counsel, will present training on the Open Meeting Law and How to Conduct a Public Meeting at 4:30 p.m. on October 25th at the Truro Public Library.  It has been suggested that attendance by at least one member of each board of committee be required.  Members of the public are welcome to attend, also.

We also want to provide training on Conflict of Interest, and that will be covered in a seminar later this fall or early winter. 

Town Employee Work Day for Habitat

We have established Tuesday, October 16th as the workday for Town employees at the new Habitat house on Yellow Brick Road.  If there are more than twelve volunteers, we will schedule a second workday later in October.  Anyone who is interested in volunteering to work on the project should contact Dawn Walnut, Volunteer Coordinator at Habitat, at 508-362-3559 x16.

Tax Bills Will Be Mailed on October 5th

The Fiscal Year 2013 tax rate has been certified by the Department of Revenue, Bureau of Accounts for Truro. Bills should be mailed out on October 5th. I want to congratulate the members of the financial team: Trudi Brazil, Town Accountant; Belinda Eyestone, Deputy Assessor; and Cynthia Slade, Town Clerk/ Treasurer/ Collector for their hard work and for getting the bills out on time without any outside assistance.

Board of Selectmen’s FY2013 Goals

The Truro Board of Selectmen has agreed to pursue the following goals and objectives for Fiscal Year 2013, July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013. The goals and objectives are divided into six broad categories:

Many of the goals are Ongoing, or continuing goals from FY2012 or earlier. New goals have been marked as such.

In establishing these goals and objectives for themselves, the Selectmen intend to provide guidance and direction to the town's multi-member bodies, and to the Town Administrator and his or her appointees, in establishing their own goals and objectives to assist in the achievement of the overall goals and objectives.

FINANCE

NEW

1. The Board of Selectmen will work to review the RENTAL REGISTRATION fee structure and evaluate the fee’s equitability and value. The Board will explore measures to eliminate the loophole that exempts short-term vacation rentals from paying the Room Occupancy Tax.

CONTINUING

2. The Board of Selectmen will work with the Town Administrator, the Town Assessor, and the Board of Assessors to develop a procedure that gets the tax bills out in a timely fashion. Note: FY2013 bills will be mailed at the beginning of October.

3. The Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee, working through the Budget Task Force, will develop and review the budget on a functional basis. For FY2013, the Task Force will focus on (a) developing a purchase order system for all town departments, and (b) the feasibility of establishing a program of raises and/or bonuses based on employee performance.

LONG-RANGE PLANNING

CONTINUING

4. The Board of Selectmen will work to develop a framework to develop the next iteration of the Town Charter. The Board will establish a committee to review and update the Town Charter and the Local Comprehensive Plan. The Board will create a Charge for this Committee to specify what the range of the Committee will be.

5. The Board of Selectmen will work with the Town Administrator and the Town's departments and multi-member bodies to find ways to cut costs and/or improve performance by working collaboratively on issues of common interest with neighboring towns and entities, which includes the Cape Cod National Seashore.

6. The Board of Selectman will work with the Building Committee, the DPW Head, and the Town Administrator to develop a feasibility-and-cost study of the potential options to move the DPW facility away from Town Hall Hill.

7. The Board of Selectmen will work with and support the Town of Wellfleet and the Cape Cod National Seashore, through the Herring River Restoration Committee, to finalize the Memorandum of Understanding III (MOU III) for the Herring River Restoration project and will support the efforts of establishing an MOU III.

PUBLIC SAFETY

NEW

8. The Board of Selectmen will work with the Town Administrator, the Public Safety authorities, the Health Agent, the CERT Team, and community members to ensure that we have adequate emergency shelter plans in place.

9. The Board of Selectmen will work with the Department of Public Works, the Fire Department, the Council on Aging, and community members to address compliance with our Public Safety Clearing Guidelines. Note: Draft General By-law has been developed. Work on unresolved issues such as disposal and enforcement.

CONTINUING

10. The Board of Selectman will organize an ad hoc task force to work with all relevant parties, including the Board of Fire Engineers, to develop a long-range plan for the Truro Fire Department.

11. The Board of Selectmen will work with the Chief of Police and the Bike and Walkway Committee to develop a safe roadway agenda that addresses the needs of currently “dangerous” roads as well as the expansion of safe bike ways.

COMMUNITY RELATIONS AND COMMUNICATION

NEW

12. The Board of Selectmen will work with the Mass DOT, Department of Public Works, Planning Board, and Town Departments to establish an eligibility policy regarding the hanging of Temporary Banners on Route 6.

13. The Board of Selectmen will establish office hours for the Selectmen at Town Hall, posting the hours, and alternating between members of the Board.

CONTINUING

14. The Board of Selectmen will continue its municipal outreach programs, focusing on exploring the potential uses of social media and on expanding the Town's website content to include online permitting.

15. The Board will explore the implications of the Open Cape System and the Town's role in it. The Board of Selectmen will work to expand the technology capabilities and infrastructure for the Town by participating as actively as possible with the Town's connection with Open Cape.

16. The Board will work to make available broadband internet service to all areas of the Town. In consultation with the Cable & Internet Advisory Committee, the Board will explore opportunities for collaboration with other Outer Cape towns to secure “last mile” providers of internet service using Open Cape. The Board recognizes the importance of high-speed internet service in advancing economic development opportunities in the Town, and it is committed to eliminating the “digital divide” for residents and businesses.

ADMINISTRATION

CONTINUING

17. The Board of Selectmen will set as a goal for the Town Administrator the review of all job descriptions for those positions covered under the Personnel Bylaw. The Town Administrator will report back to the Selectmen no later than June 30, 2013 as to which job descriptions are in need of updating and whether a consultant is recommended.

18. The Board of Selectmen will work with the Town Administrator to develop a system of yearly performance review for the TA that measures accomplishments against specific mutually defined goals and objectives. We have established staff teams to work on these goals and objectives, and we will provide quarterly reports to the Selectmen on our progress.

Hope you all had a great summer and that you are enjoying the beautiful fall weather and slower pace.

Sincerely,

Rex Peterson
Town Administrator
townadm@truro-ma.gov
(508) 349-7004, ext 10