Rochester’s Select Board Tuesday focused its attention on filling the three town hall positions recently vacated by retirements: Town Planner, Town Accountant, and Police Captain.
Discussion began with its review of a request from the Freetown Town Administrator to share a Town Planner, as that nearby town currently does not have its own. The board responded rather cautiously to the suggestion after Town Administrator Cameron Durant expressed his reservations about such a plan.
“I’m not advocating for this,” Durant said, adding that it is too soon to know who Rochester’s Town Planner will be and when he or she will be picked. “We are interviewing a candidate for the position this Friday,” he noted.
He advised that any regional agreement of that nature would have to be approached carefully. “Regionalization is great when it is for cost savings,” he said. “My concern will be that the smaller town doesn’t get the smaller end of the draw in the deal.”
The board, as a result, took the cautious approach of deciding to ask the Freetown selectmen to send a representative to meet with the Rochester board on the issue.
In the search for a town accountant, Durant expressed reservations about the pay rate that the job posting for the position features. The current proposed salary range is not attracting any candidates, he said, and the town may have to raise that salary offering.
“Fifty-five thousand dollars is not getting anybody,” Durant said. “People answering the posting say it’s not enough. We have to think about our salary range and put more money aside. Certification for this job is a multi-year process. It’s not, you attend a seminar and you’re certified. It’s a more complicated job.”
Selectman Adam Murphy said to run a $28 million operation such as Rochester he would like to see what talent pool the position attracts before establishing a salary range for it.
Durant disagreed. “We have to come up with a rough, do-not-exceed amount to have a comfortable conversation with any candidate,” he said. The board ultimately agreed to allow Durant to explore options such as hiring a consultant for the town accountant job on an interim basis.
On the subject of Police Department personnel, Durant noted the town is in a similar financial bind. Police overtime, and its price tag, are trending upward, he said. Here too other ways to address these costs need to be explored, he said. Murphy suggested a new officer position should be created to cover what overtime work by other officers usually cover.
In similar action, the board appointed its representatives to the search committees for the three vacated positions. Brad Morse will serve on the Town Planner and Town Accountant search panels. Adam Murphy will serve on the Police Captain Search Committee.
The board also announced it will be issuing a citation to Captain Don Kemmet in honor of his recent retirement from the Rochester Police Department after 26 years of service.
The board hosted newly-elected state representative Mark Sylvia’s presentation of a Massachusetts state flag to the town and the introduction of his legislative director, Betty Benedictus.
The board approved a request to extend its hearing for the Rounsville Road Eversource poles to its February 18 meeting.
The board tabled a request from town clerk Margorie Barrows for potential dates for the 2025 Annual Town Meeting and the Annual Town Election. Murphy cautioned that acceptable dates for the town meeting need first to be cleared with the venue, Rochester Memorial School, and the date cannot conflict with the Marion Town Meeting as he will need to attend that meeting as town Harbormaster.
The board reviewed the town’s agreement that lends Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School a School Resource Officer from the Rochester police force. Durant said the current concern with this agreement is who pays the officer’s salary for sick days and training, Rochester or the school. He told the board to expect new language for this agreement and a new pact to establish an SRO at Rochester Memorial School at the next select board meeting.
The next meeting of the Rochester Select Board is scheduled for Monday, February 3rd at 6:00 pm at 1 Constitution Way.
Rochester Select Board
By Michael J. DeCicco