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TOWN MANAGER

March 15, 2021

To: Town Residents Fr: Zachary Maher, Town Manager Re: 2021-22 Annual Report

“The lesson is the importance of never becoming untethered

to oversight & accountability.”

– James Comey

The second half of 2020 posed for us all more novel challenges than previously thought possible. Still, due in part to the crafty resourcefulness of staff and residents alike we were able to continue our operations safely, with only minimal and short-term reduction of services. The town’s financial stability, much like the resolution of its residents, remains strong. With the added awards of Covid preparedness & election grants we were also able to improve our processes around sanitation and

elections which will carry forward. All things told, we faired the 2020 tempest well and came out more confident, resilient and better prepared for future changes, whatever they may be. So far, the beginning of 2021 has been focused on a few key projects which were put on hold earlier in the year. Instead of harping on a year which we are all so keen to put behind us, I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about the work we still have to do so that you will know what is coming in FY 21-22.

Codification is something you might be hearing more on in the coming months. This will involve utilizing a 3rd party specialist reviewing all of our governance documents and making recommendations with the intent to make them clearer to residents and staff while eliminating troublesome contradictions. Some modern ordinances, written with all good intentions, have on multiple occasions contradicted previous and un-repealed ordinances. This has causes uncertainty for staff, Planning Board and Appeals Board members as they are tasked with interpreting and approving requests with varying degrees of clarity and straightforwardness. Some changes such as spot zoning or approved uses were not approved through the correct process, and though common precedent has been set, enforcement of these regulations could be challenged based on the nature of their adoption. At the end of the codification process these proposed changes will be reviewed by the Council and public hearings will be held to attain the largest amount of public input as feasible before any definitive action is taken.

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