As we prepare for the Annual Town Meeting, I want to share with you a summary for the work of the Board of Selectmen over the past year. The 2014 Fiscal Year has been a year of change, hard work, and progress in responding to increasingly complex challenges facing our community. From the impact of climate change to issues such as affordable housing and public safety, the Board of Selectmen has dedicated itself to charting our Town’s future in a way that preserves what makes Truro, the Cape’s most rural town, unique.

The Board of Selectmen welcomed two new members this past May with the election of Bob Weinstein and Paul Wisotzky, who joined me, Breon Dunigan, and Jan Worthington. Gary Palmer and Bill Golden both decided not to seek re-election. We are grateful for their service to the Town over many years.

Last May, the Board dedicated several meetings to formulating goals and objectives for the year, with all of the members bringing new energy, ideas, and issues. Six broad goals were identified:

Under each goal, we developed 31 specific objectives to help us achieve these goals. The full list of goals and objectives are listed on the Town’s website. The goals and objectives are ambitious, and I’m proud of the vision they articulate for our community. During the last year, we made great progress. I’d like to highlight in my report to you many of these accomplishments.

The May elections also brought about a significant change in the management and overseeing of Truro Fire and Rescue. Voters approved placing the supervision of the Truro Fire & Rescue with the Board of Selectmen. The Board viewed this change as an opportunity to conduct a top-to-bottom review of the Town’s fire and rescue services. The citizen-driven Truro Fire & Rescue Committee was formed, and a consultant was hired to study our current and future needs. A few weeks ago, the Advisory Committee and our consultants presented a comprehensive report and recommendations for the future of Truro Fire & Rescue. The Board of Selectmen voted to hire a part-time temporary Administrator to assist Chief Davis and the Selectmen with implementing the recommendations contained in the report. We also voted to begin a search process to hire a full-time Chief and to provide funds in the FY15 Budget for two additional per diem positions to strengthen the Department’s firefighting capability.

Another issue related to public safety was addressed at Special Town Meeting in January. The Town was faced with the need to replace four police vehicles. This triggered an important discussion among Chief Takakjian, the Board, and voters about the number of vehicles needed by the Police Department. After careful evaluation, the Department and the Board proposed that three vehicles would be sufficient. Voters approved this solution at Special Town Meeting.

June brought the opening of the Truro Farmers' Market at Veterens Park in Truro Center. Every Monday morning local farmers greeted residents and visitors with healthful, fresh, and locally produced food. The market proved to be an important catalyst for economic development by invigorating commerce in our Village Center and by generating $72,000 in sales for 18 local growers and producers. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Market’s sponsor Sustainable Cape and our Police and Public Works Department, this exciting new addition to downtown Truro will have a safe and successful future.

This past year brought renewed attention to the impact increasingly powerful winter storms are having on Ballston Beach and the Pamet River Valley. There is a growing consensus the ocean will continue to break through the dunes at Ballston Beach, flooding the Pamet River Valley. There is also developing agreement the long-term solution to this issue is to restore full tidal flow to the entire Pamet River Valley. In August, we hosted a well-attended public meeting on this issue with the National Seashore to bring citizens up to date on the issue, answer questions, and address concerns. This is an ongoing issue of great importance to the Town of Truro and the National Seashore, and the Board is committed to addressing short-term impacts and long-term solutions.

One of the high points of the year was the opening of Sally’s Way, a new neighborhood of affordable rental homes beautifully situated behind the Community Center and Library. Sixteen families now call Sally’s Way home. The project was 11 years in the making, and the Board is pleased with this major step forward in creating more affordable housing for Truro. This is an issue of critical importance to the future of our town. Truro has the smallest percentage of affordable housing on Cape Cod and the most expensive median home price. We will continue to work closely with the hardworking Truro Housing Authority on efforts to address the growing need for affordable housing.

This year, a Charter Review Commission appointed by the Board of Selectmen brought forward a number of recommendations for changes to our Town Charter. It has been nearly 25 years since the last major revision to the Charter, a key document that serves as our Town’s “Constitution” and sets up structures and rules for our local government. In that time period, local government has grown more complex, and the Board of Selectmen moved from day-to-day overseeing of Town affairs to hiring a professional Town Administrator to take on that role. The Charter Review Commission has proposed incremental changes in the Charter that focus on clarifying and strengthening the administrative role of the Town Administrator, freeing the Board of Selectmen to focus on larger policy issues. To make sure this process continues, the Board voted to create a standing Charter Review Commission that will continue to inform of ongoing changes to the Charter.

In December, the Town launched a new website in an effort to improve the availability of information to residents and visitors. The website now contains much more information and is also much easier for staff to manage and update. I encourage you to visit the new site where you can gather information and sign up for email notices of meetings, agendas, and minutes. Please visit www.truro-ma.gov.

One of our goals for the year is to find ways to reduce costs and to improve services by working collaboratively on issues of common interest with neighboring towns. In December we held a joint meeting with the Provincetown Board of Selectmen at our Community Center to explore ways to build upon our existing collaborations. This spring we will hold another joint meeting to include Department heads from each town in which we will encourage Town staff to identify new ways we can work together to reduce costs for both communities.

Our most important task over the next several months will be the hiring of a new Town Administrator. In March, we created a charge for a Search Committee and signed a contract with MMA Consulting Group to assist the Search Committee and Board of Selectmen. We expect to appoint a seven-member Search Committee in early April. Recruitment and initial screening of candidates is expected to take place over the summer. It is our hope to identify a new Town Administrator after Labor Day.

Lastly, I want to express my sincere, deep gratitude to all our volunteer Board and Committee members for your countless hours of service to the Town. The dedication and expertise you provide the Town is invaluable, and our community is better and richer for it. We couldn’t do it without you. And, finally, my thanks go to my colleagues on the Board of Selectmen for entrusting me with the position of Chair and for all you do to make Truro such a rich and vibrant community.

Sincerely,

Jay Coburn
Chair, Board of Selectmen
jcoburn@truro-ma.gov
(508) 349-7004