The Town of Danvers Charter Review Committee on March 5 approved a series of edits to the Town Manager Act and voted to add a recall provision and a regular review interval for the act.

The committee approved edits to multiple sections of the working draft of the Act — including changing a mandatory three‑month severance payment to an optional payment “up to the next three calendar months,” accepting existing language describing the municipal light board, asking the town manager to appoint a three‑member Board of Commissioners of Trust Funds to oversee legacy trusts, and several technical and clarifying edits to finance and administrative sections. The committee also voted to insert a recall provision (moved into the draft as section 12) and to require the Act be reviewed on a regular schedule (the committee settled on a 10‑year standard).

Why it matters: the package clarifies the town manager’s employment terms and several town governance processes, directs attention to substantial trust fund balances that committee members flagged for oversight, and adds a formal recall mechanism and scheduled review cadence to the governance code being revised.

Severance and Section 11
Committee members spent extended time on the clause that had read as a mandatory three‑month severance. The committee approved language that preserves immediate payment of any unpaid salary on suspension while making the additional three‑month payment discretionary and capped as “up to the next three calendar months.” Committee members argued this gives negotiating flexibility for future contracts and avoids guaranteeing severance in cases the committee saw as potentially egregious (for example, in cases involving criminal conduct). The motion to accept the revised wording for section 11 passed by voice vote.

Municipal light board (Section 17)
After reviewing the town’s annual report and the town website description of the municipal light board, the committee concluded the light board’s role is substantially similar to the Water and Sewer Commission and recommended keeping the existing name and language. The committee moved and approved the edits presented that retain the municipal light board wording and only made typographical/capitalization changes.

Board of Commissioners of Trust Funds (Section 24)
Committee members reviewed a handout drawn from the annual town report showing trust fund balances and discussed how those funds are currently overseen. Committee members said the treasurer‑collector has authority to disburse the funds and that a private investment manager (Bartholomew & Company) manages investments, but that no three‑member board of commissioners of trust funds appears to have been functioning for many years.

Committee members recorded the following balances from the annual report during discussion: school‑related trust funds approximately $4.5 million, town trust funds about $108,000, a hospital subfund about $410,000, and a miscellaneous subtotal near $361,000. Committee members approved language in the Act calling for the town manager to appoint a three‑member Board of Commissioners of Trust Funds and urged that the board review whether particular funds remain held for their original purposes and whether more active oversight or reallocation (within the limits of trust documents and state law) is warranted.

Finance, budgets and the finance committee (Sections 32–34)
The committee left intact the Town Manager’s statutory deadline to submit a budget estimate by March 1, and members discussed the multi‑step budget process used in Danvers: department submissions, select board review, and a separate Finance Committee review before town meeting. The committee debated who should appoint FinCom members (the current practice is moderator appointment), and members discussed vacancies, staggered terms, and the FinCom’s duties. The committee approved the edited language for the finance and budget sections with minor wording and capitalization changes, and added an explicit sentence encouraging town meeting members to attend Finance Committee public hearings.

Recall provision and review cadence
After discussion about placement and presentation, the committee voted to insert a recall provision into the draft Town Manager Act and renumber subsequent sections so the recall text appears earlier (committee adopted placing recall as section 12). The committee voted in favor of adding language that the Act be reviewed periodically; after debate the committee set a review interval of 10 years (with the same mechanism used in the Town Meeting Act, but with the shorter interval the committee selected).

Other administrative and housekeeping votes
The committee accepted edits to a number of additional sections covering the tree warden role, appointment of town counsel for terms up to three years, the town manager as chief fiscal officer and warrant approval process, referral of doubtful payroll bills to the select board, requirements that officers pay receipts to the town treasury, limits on employee compensation consistent with the budget, and conflict of interest compliance. Each edit was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote during the meeting; the committee chair said approved, final minutes and agendas will be posted on the town website.

Votes at a glance (selected outcome summary)
- Approve minutes of Feb. 5, 2025: approved (voice vote)
- Section 11 (severance): approved — revised to make up to three calendar months discretionary (voice vote)
- Section 17 (municipal light board): approved (retain language; typographical edits)
- Section 24 (Board of Commissioners of Trust Funds): approved (town manager to appoint three‑member commission)
- Section 25 (tree warden): approved (technical/capitalization edits)
- Section 26 (town counsel appointment): approved (town manager to appoint, ratified by select board; up to three‑year term)
- Section 27 (town manager as chief fiscal officer/warrants): approved
- Section 28 (referral of doubtful payroll bills to select board): approved
- Sections 29–34 (various clerical, fiscal and Finance Committee provisions): approved (see body for details)
- Recall provision insertion (moved to section 12): approved (committee recorded 7 in favor, 2 opposed; opposed members named)
- Act review cadence: approved to require review every 10 years (committee vote; recorded majority)

What the committee asked next
Committee members asked staff to prepare a final red‑line and an explanatory report to accompany the draft so the select board and town meeting will have the edits and explanatory material in advance. The committee discussed timing; members and town leaders said they expect the select board to review the committee’s report in mid‑June and that a special town meeting (likely in the fall) would be the appropriate forum for town meeting consideration rather than bundling the package into the annual meeting schedule.

Ending
Committee members closed the meeting after allocating follow‑up work: staff will prepare the redlined draft and an explanatory report; the committee will meet again to review the packet before delivering it to the select board. The chair noted approved minutes will be posted under Agendas and Minutes on the Town of Danvers website.