Board says time for review of bylaws
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

The Westminster Personnel Board has taken action on a discussion held at the town's special town meeting in February and are recommending to the Board of Selectmen to appoint a Charter Review Committee.

John Cappellini, the Personnel Board chairman, said it may be time for the review to take place and then for the committee to present the report to the town.

"The town is growing and changing," he said. "It doesn't hurt to look at something. Things change, you always have to be aware of what is going on. You can't do a lot of things unless the charter is changed. If the charter is not changed you can't do anything."

The town is governed under a set of bylaws, which determine the set up of the town's government, said Town Clerk Denise MacAloney.

The discussion arose during the February meeting when Selectmen asked voters to change the town's treasurer/collector from an elected position to an appointed position. Residents voted down that move citing concerns about only looking at one position instead of the entire set up of town.

"Our concern is the treasurer and the town clerk positions are key position," Stephen Hemmen, the vice chairman of the Personnel Board, said.

While those two positions are elected position the only requirements for the person is that they are at least 18-yearsold and a resident of town. There are no requirements for training, hours or skill set.

"The auditors review brought it up to the Selectmen," Hemmen said.

Hemmen added that if the unforeseen happens and the person filling one of those positions became unable to serve for any reason, than the Selectmen have no authority to do anything.

He said the town is lucky with the two employees filling the position.

"It's nothing on them it's just how the organization should run," he said.

One of the other issues the board thinks it maybe time to look at is changing the Board of Selectmen from a three-person board to a five-person board.

"Sometimes it is necessary to look at ways to improve, to give people more of a voice," Cappellini said.

Hemmen said, "I think we have gotten to be a big enough town that we could move from three to five people (on the Board of Selectmen)."

Over the years there have been attempts to change the form of government but the opposition has either rejected the attempts at town meeting or even before hand. There are procedures laid out in state law on how a review and a vote must take place to change the government.

The last major review was to determine if the town wanted to switch from a Board of Selectmen governing body to a town administrator form of government.

Cappellini, who has served on the board, for about 10 years said there has not been a formal review of the government organization in that time. There were discussions around that time but they never became formal.

"We're not a little town of 20 or 35 years ago," Hemmen said.