[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6350513,"mediaKeyId","2232640-6cf5299e8b21ca59df6a942e26ce5dc1","parentId",2232640,"title","Danvers committee adopts most appointment sections, defers questions about municipal electric and trust funds","audioSeconds",5454,"startMs",1643000,"endMs",7097000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2232640-6cf5299e8b21ca59df6a942e26ce5dc1&start=1643&end=7097","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2232640-6cf5299e8b21ca59df6a942e26ce5dc1/thumbnail_1643000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6350513/Town-of-Danvers/Essex-County/Massachusetts/Danvers-committee-adopts-most-appointment-sections-defers-questions-about-municipal-electric-and-trust-funds","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6350513-a5964f4c7d7d760f7f8264d2229844e8/orig.mp4?Expires=1771203195&Signature=Ehwu2ZvxD6l2hPhYE3WMyK0Uq8ew-FewkaiR05f4HJqyThU5pQx5rNbBMpt2G~LUlCblgbDuwr7Qje06TAOJegxaGivDjan2bgetW5Z0y96L-H4CpwmneUMEl494BTQnsw~HgoA~kwLGg9iAU4Boq-AUTJdQ6vegufDYG8sBzyPw-qLhDj8d24EDgqBOV9aP6EToulhwfsUQK7nEBYSYha7UD3QG9kIv3yIu86L-6Y~qPnuLWKNC4IeB8Ds-mUfuPkMfiasB3cKXu0FDrV9ZkyrCj3ImXGUW-b6Ly70OKuxgwU1GqAN~MjHWuDbUJed4uaibe5zdhflnoHvgSfysug__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town of Danvers, MA","date","2025-02-06T00:00:00Z","article","At its Feb. 5 meeting the Town Manager Acts Review Committee reviewed multiple sections of the draft Town Manager Act that assign appointment and supervisory authority to the town manager and voted to approve most of them while deferring a small number for follow-up research.

The committee approved language making the town manager responsible for appointing and supervising a range of boards and officers, including the planning board, board of health, municipal assessors, town clerk, town treasurer, tax collector and town accountant. During discussion members debated whether certain boards should be appointed by the town manager or partly elected; the planning board drew sustained debate about whether appointment by the town manager risks politicizing land-use decisions versus protecting technical competence.

The committee accepted text clarifying that many appointed boards would serve staggered three-year terms and that members must be sworn before taking office. For the planning board the committee noted statutory citations (section 81A of chapter 41) and discussed practical tradeoffs: several members argued appointment lets the town manager select a complementary set of skills; others said elected members more directly reflect voters’ preferences, though committee members also noted low turnout rates for many town elections.

On the municipal electric authority (the local \"municipal light board\"), members asked staff to clarify the board’s relationship to Danvers Electric and whether renaming the board “electric” would create legal or operational confusion. The committee voted to defer that section and directed staff to gather the historical background and confirm any statutory or charter constraints. The motion to defer passed with a recorded roll-call of committee votes (7 in favor).

The committee also tabled the section establishing the board of commissioners of trust funds and asked staff to locate any existing records that identify current commissioners and how trust funds are administered. Members noted that trust funds and bequests exist but were unsure which trusts remain active or how they are listed on the town website; they asked staff to report back with a list of funds and current commissioners.

Other sections the committee approved included provision clarifying the town manager’s access to town books for investigative purposes, authority to employ special counsel and to keep the select board informed on litigation, and the appointment process for the board of water and sewer commissioners.

Ending: The committee advanced most draft appointment and organization sections to the next phase, but asked staff to return with research on the municipal light board (Danvers Electric), the board of commissioners of trust funds, and historical charter language referenced in a handful of sections.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Town of Danvers: Town Meeting/Manager Acts Review Committee Meeting - 2/5/25","oneSentenceSummary","At its Feb. 5 meeting the Town Manager Acts Review Committee reviewed multiple sections of the draft Town Manager Act that assign appointment and supervisory authority to the town manager and voted to approve most of them while deferring a small number for follow-up research.","taxTitle","Town of Danvers, Essex County, Massachusetts","taxId",56467,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6350518,"Danvers committee debates assistant town manager role, tables change to Section 11 severance language",1324,280000,1604000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2232640-6cf5299e8b21ca59df6a942e26ce5dc1&start=280&end=1604","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2232640-6cf5299e8b21ca59df6a942e26ce5dc1/thumbnail_280000.jpg","/articles/6350518/Town-of-Danvers/Essex-County/Massachusetts/Danvers-committee-debates-assistant-town-manager-role-tables-change-to-Section-11-severance-language","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6350518-5154c3f1f578660328b2a664cde00a2c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771203195&Signature=lxewZo7BghqhYH-Cq473w47xMk2NGuk2kPhzRyTE8mo1jzFVWKkfB9nbIU6fRVYK1zriPMHwnuO7jaTVIAT9FbVZDmBGcVktbvdM9ZYsaw2xrJ3UPF3wdsjvlOpx~nB54XhBoK2WXNGu-3lWj61DkOH53JgjxFM2kG6~V6MoJ5iRo44VgzjaUVFEKeuMiQLaAJxMmWnTppucZR3SzxJu5mXrnt1lcx7kyRk2Rd3t9XDAytYJMHF0h1GFH3B2tj-9M1A-F-CkjDU-os7-n14Yl~vMzS5Hi7VR33ZL6VbNDTEz0GDa5dzLA8cTbpARilcqhOHGYYSyCXePrrCobd93gg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Town Manager Acts Review Committee for the Town of Danvers met Feb. 5 and spent substantial time discussing how the town handles succession for the town manager and how statutory language in Section 11 interacts with contract terms, ultimately voting to table revisions to Section 11 for further research.

Committee members emphasized that the town manager contract references succession planning and contains a clause directing the town manager to confer with the select board when appointing an assistant town manager. Committee members noted that the contract language suggests the select board “may wish to consider the incumbent assistant town manager for appointment” if a vacancy occurs, but that the broader statutory Section 11 also contains language about suspension with pay and an established payment period following suspension.

The committee debated whether the Section 11 sentence tying suspension or termination pay to a fixed period (three months' pay) should remain in the statute or be replaced by language deferring to whatever the written employment contract provides. Some members said keeping the statutory minimum clarifies limits for future negotiations; others said removing it would allow the select board and future town managers more flexibility in contract negotiations.

On the narrower question of the assistant town manager role, the committee agreed the act (as drafted) treats that position as a role the town manager may create and define, not an automatic successor to the town manager. The committee noted that the assistant town manager’s duties have varied historically and that the title alone does not guarantee authority to serve as acting town manager if the town manager leaves office. The contract language requiring the town manager to “confer with the select board as part of the process” when appointing an assistant town manager drew particular attention; members said that clause limits, to some degree, the town manager’s unilateral appointment power for that post.

After discussion the committee voted to table the proposed amendment to Section 11 so members could gather additional legal background and clarify what state law or historical practice requires. The committee directed staff to research prior versions of the act and any applicable state statutes and to bring that information back at a future meeting.

Votes at the meeting included motions to move Section 11 to a later meeting for more research; the motion to table passed with committee consensus. The discussion closed with the group scheduling follow-up research and a plan to raise the question with town counsel before proposing final language changes.

The committee scheduled its next meetings for Feb. 19 (at the senior center) and March 5 (location as previously posted).

Ending: The committee left Section 11 in draft form and asked staff to collect contractual excerpts, historical iterations of the Town Manager Act, and any relevant state-law references to inform the next discussion.","At its Feb. 5 meeting the Town Manager Acts Review Committee discussed how the town manager contract and the Town Manager Act handle succession and severance pay, reviewed how an assistant town manager is defined, and voted to table proposed edits to Section 11 pending further legal review.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Danvers committee adopts most appointment sections, defers questions about municipal electric and trust funds

Danvers committee debates assistant town manager role, tables change to Section 11 severance language