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Committees: Government Study Committee

Email: GovernmentStudyCommittee@hingham-ma.com

Voicemail: 781-804-2666

(Appt. By Moderator ART 23, 2010)

Article 23: That the Town vote to direct the Moderator to appoint a Committee of seven citizens of the Town, knowledgeable in its affairs, one of whom will be designated by the Moderator as Chairman, to be known as the 2010 Committee to Review the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Town Government (also known as the 2010 Government Study Committee, which Committee shall examine all aspects of local government organization and structure, including, without limitation, regional relationships and the operation of all Town departments, boards, committees and commissions, elected and appointed, and recommend changes in such organization and structure, consonant with the traditional values of the Town, and designed to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of government services; which recommendations shall be made in a form suitable for consideration at the next Annual Town Meeting, or subsequent Town Meetings, and to authorize the Town to raise and appropriate the sum of $10,000 for the expenses of such Committee.

Important Documents

Hingham Citizens Survey Summary and Results - Spring 2011

GSC Process Phase 1

Survey Responses

• 2006 School Building Committee
• Advisory Committee
• Affordable Housing Trust
• Bare Cove Park Committee
• Board of Assessors
• Board of Health
• Building Department
• Cable Advisory Committee
• Community Preservation Committee
• DPW Building Committee
• Elder Services
• GAR Hall
• Hingham Contributory Retirement System
• Hingham Public Library Director
• Hingham Public Library Trustees
• Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant
• Historic Districts Commission
• Historical Commission
• LRWDPR Committee
• Personnel Board
• Planning Board
• Police Department
• Recreation Department
• School Department
• Selectman Rabuffo
• Sewer Department
• SS Country Club Management Committee
• Town Administrator
• Town Clerk
• Town Moderator
• Treasurer/Collector

2011 Annual Report

At the 2010 Annual Town Meeting (ATM) voters directed the Moderator to appoint The Committee to Review the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Town Government (also known as the 2010 Government Study Committee) with the following charge: (the) Committee shall examine all aspects of local government organization and structure, including, without limitation, regional relationships and the operation of all Town departments, boards, committees and commissions, elected and appointed, and recommend changes in such organization and structure, consonant with the traditional values of the Town, and designed to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of government services; which recommendations shall be made in a form suitable for consideration at the next Annual Town Meeting or subsequent town meetings. As has been the practice of previous similarly named and charged committees, this committee submits this interim report.

Since its appointment by the Town Moderator, the Government Study Committee (GSC or simply, the committee), has met a number of times, devoting many of its initial efforts to data gathering. Data sources include
• An e-mailed written survey of Hingham boards, committees, and departments;
• a town wide citizen survey;
• interviews with numerous town officials including the present and one former Town Administrator, the Town Moderator, the Treasurer/Collector, members of the Board of Selectmen and School Committee,
• interviews with selectmen and town administrators in benchmark towns, and representatives of Massachusetts organizations involved in developing best practices for local governments.

The committee also reviewed and discussed previous GSC reports and received comments from citizens at its meetings.

The e-mailed survey of town board, committee, and department chairs sought information about what functions well and suggestions for improvement. Most bodies receiving this request responded promptly and thoughtfully.
The town-wide citizen survey was designed to reach as many citizens as possible. Although not "statistically valid," the number and quality of responses were informative. The survey instrument asked citizens for their thoughts on the conduct of town meeting, their satisfaction and dissatisfaction with town government, and suggestions for improvement. The format enabled citizens to express their thoughts, ideas, and comments fully.

The survey was frequently publicized in the Hingham Journal, promoted on the Town web site, and widely distributed. Distribution strategies included posting on-line as an interactive instrument and a downloadable document (pdf), inclusion in a monthly mailing of Hingham Light Department bills, availability at the 2011 Annual Town Meeting accompanied by an announcement by the Town Moderator from the podium, and availability at the Town Clerk's office. A total of 484 responses were received with approximately 22% via the internet. In addition, a number of people requested that a member of the GSC contact them for further discussion of survey content.
The committee members used this plethora of data to identify areas of focus, integrating their own extensive experience with town government with the information gathered. Through these efforts, the committee built an agenda, on which it began to act as described below.

The committee has voted on five major policy recommendations. Three of those votes were in support of articles at the 2011 ATM. The first supported Article 28, which improved the process for submission of warrant articles. The second was in support of Article 29, which reduced speaking times at town meeting. The third was in support of Article 32, which integrated operation of the Sewer Department into the Department of Public Works.

The fourth vote was to submit to the 2012 ATM a warrant article supporting the reduction of the town meeting quorum from 300 to 200 persons. This would allow prompter commencement of meetings.

The fifth vote supported the submission to the 2012 ATM of a warrant article which would make the position of Treasurer/Collector appointed rather than elected. Since this recommendation has been made by two previous Government Study Committees but subsequently rejected by the voters at an ATM about 10 years ago, this subject deserves some further explanation. The rationale has not changed from 10 years ago when previously recommended. Consequently, it seems appropriate to quote the Interim Report of the previous committee.

In most towns similar to Hingham in size and budget, the Treasurer-Collector is a professional financial manager appointed by the Selectmen or Town Manager. In Hingham, the Treasurer-Collector is an elected official and, as such, is not required to have any particular education, training, or experience as a condition of holding the job. Nor is he or she obliged to interact cooperatively with the Selectmen, the Town Administrator, or the Town Accountant in coordinating and integrating the Town's financial operations and affairs. […].

For three basic reasons, we believe an essential first step toward the achievement of that goal is to change the Treasurer-Collector's position from an elected to an appointed office.

First, the voters elect the Selectmen and hold them accountable for the choices they make as public policy-makers, including the appointment and oversight of the senior Town employees who manage our public services; but the men and women who hold those management positions should be chosen and retained based on their professional qualifications, not on their willingness or ability to run for public office. The very individuals who are most highly qualified to manage municipal services are often reluctant to become politicians and subject themselves to the political process. There is no good reason to require them to do so, and there are better ways to select and scrutinize them. We do not elect the Police Chief, the Town Counsel, or the Town Administrator merely because they hold important positions are not necessarily the best politicians. The voters entrust the Selectmen to make and rescind those appointments and hold them accountable for the results. The same rationale applies to the Treasurer-Collector's position.

Second, because they are independently elected and have separate responsibilities for different aspects of the Town's fiscal affairs, the Selectmen have no authority over the Treasurer-Collector's policies or operations, and the Treasurer-Collector has no authority over the Selectmen's. We are fortunate that the current incumbents have chosen, by and large, to work with one another cooperatively. But there is no integrated financial management system with a single line of direction, authority, and accountability. A Treasurer-Collector appointed by the Selectmen and accountable to them will repair that systemic flaw.

Third, unlike the Town's employees, its elected officials are required to live in Hingham. This has its advantages, to be sure, but it also limits sharply the pool of individuals who are willing, able and qualified to serve. The Treasurer-Collector can now be drawn only from the universe of persons who live in town, want the job, will accept what it pays, have the credentials to do it well, and are willing and able to run for public office. This is a small circle indeed. But if the position becomes an appointed, professional management job, the Selectmen can choose from a much larger pool of interested, qualified applicants.

Since the issuance of these comments in the 2000 Interim Report, the town's budget has grown faster than inflation and the town's finances have become more complex. The town operates in a more dynamic and litigious economy. The current economic downturn has further complicated matters by adding nuances such as dealing with more residential foreclosures than in the recent past. Given these facts, the current GSC recommends that the town again consider making the Treasurer/Collector an appointed (by the Selectmen) rather than elected position.

Many other issues remain to be discussed by the GSC. The committee has considered suggestions that certain town boards be appointed rather than elected. While some of the issues are the same as discussed above for the Treasurer/Collector, other considerations are different. Other towns face similar issues. Some have considered a middle road on the matter. Rather than eliminating or making certain elected boards appointed, these towns have reduced these boards' scope of responsibilities in order to achieve greater consistency, transparency, and risk management. For example, many towns have removed from some elected boards managerial responsibilities pertaining to personnel, accounting, banking and the like. In this way, the elected boards are more focused on policy matters and the town can use its professional managers to promote efficiency and consistency while reducing the threat of litigation.

Other issues that have been introduced and will continue to be discussed by the GSC include the following:

- The size of the Board of Selectmen
- Additional town meeting procedures
- Term limits for elected and/or appointed officials
- Town Administrator versus Town Manager
- Town field coordination, maintenance and use
- Voting technology for town meetings and elections
- Improved use of technology including improvements to the town website
- Town wide facilities management
- Other operating efficiencies, including with the School Department, regarding personnel, purchasing and capital planning
- Relevance of all existing town committees
- Best practices for Town Committee procedures, e.g., the development of a handbook, enforcing Open Meeting requirements, such as timely posting of meeting minutes
- Other needs may be added as they emerge during committee deliberations and the committee deems appropriate

In closing, the committee wishes to thank the many parties who have already contributed to our research and discussions. The town government is blessed with many thoughtful and generous contributors of time, talent and treasure. The committee continues to welcome public input at its meetings.

Judith M. Cole, Chair
Philip J. Edmundson
Edna S. English
Scott C. Ford
Irma H. Lauter
Alexander Macmillan
Eva Marx