MONTAGUE — Town Administrator Steve Ellis pitched the necessity of adding an assistant town administrator during fiscal year 2023 budget discussions at Monday’s Selectboard meeting.
The proposal first surfaced at a July 12 meeting. As was the case then, no decision or vote was made on Monday.
The Selectboard’s hesitation to add the employee results from considering the feasibility of a $117,000 increase to the Selectboard budget that could fund both the assistant town administrator position and a 20-hour-per-week Selectboard clerk/human resources assistant. The allotment would cover expenses related to staffing, office supplies and professional development. In addition, Ellis outlined the possibility of increased benefit costs that could range from $11,904 to $37,512, as well as pension costs in the vicinity of $10,000 annually.
Ellis framed the need to create the new position as a matter of both the Selectboard and himself being overextended. He said there are several “executive-level tasks that crosscut across departments” and that an assistant would help shoulder the load.
“The goal is not to allow me to do less work,” he said. “The goal is to allow us to accomplish more work and to do it at a higher standard that allows us to seize more opportunities … be those grant opportunities and et cetera.”
As he had done during the July 12 meeting, Ellis stressed that his advocacy for an assistant is not a selfish proposition, acknowledging that he would be relinquishing responsibility over some of his favorite tasks.
“I would undoubtedly be sacrificing some of the things I find the most enjoyable,” he said.
Specifically, the duties of an assistant town administrator that were outlined Monday would include community and economic development, capital and infrastructure planning, facilities planning and management, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance coordination, construction procurement, grant and contract management, business marketing and outreach, and committee support. Ellis also suggested the assistant could double as a clerical assistant in a limited capacity.
In addition to being an effort to alleviate pressure on town workers, Ellis said wanting to add an assistant town administrator is a matter of succession planning. If he were to leave his position as town administrator in the coming years, the presence of an assistant would make the transition and reorganization process less chaotic.
“Honestly, if I leave in three to five years, I don’t want to leave this place hamstrung and in a mess,” Ellis said. “I want to leave it with stronger and better systems that are appropriately staffed so we can do the work that is increasingly expected of us by a public that rightfully expects a lot from its government.”
Toward the end of the discussion, Ellis drew on advice from longtime Town Administrator Frank Abbondanzio to preface his stance.
“Frank Abbondanzio left me with a lot of short comments that really stuck for me,” Ellis said with a smile, “and one of the things he said as he left the office for the last time was, ‘Steve, don’t try to do the full scope of this job because it’ll eat you alive. There’s too much and you don’t have the resources to accomplish it all.’”
Should the Selectboard recommend the addition of an assistant town administrator, the proposal will be brought to the Finance Committee for consideration. Selectboard Vice Chair Chris Boutwell cited the absence of Chair Rich Kuklewicz as a commanding factor in his decision to abstain from making any motion.
Reach Julian Mendoza
at 413-772-0261, ext. 261 or jmendoza@recorder.com.