Here’s a governance oversight that the Selectboard and Town Manager should address promptly after Town Meeting.
Norwich’s Town Manager employment agreement includes a basic but powerful practice. Every year, in September, the Selectboard and Town Manager are supposed to set written goals and performance objectives (Section VI.A). Those goals guide priorities, provide a clear basis for evaluation, and help the public understand what Town leadership is trying to accomplish.
Through a public records request, I learned that there is no written, adopted set of annual goals on file with the Town for the year ahead. The employment agreement calls for annual goals and objectives to be defined each September – and requires they be reduced to writing. That didn’t happen, and it’s a missed opportunity.
Are the Town Manager and the Selectboard busy? Absolutely. But when core governance tools like annual written goals aren’t created, priorities get murky and accountability gets harder, particularly on longer term projects.
Case in point: Tracy Hall renovation
The Tracy Hall feasibility study is now about two years old. At the February 11 meeting, one Selectboard member noted that the Town has taken little action since, despite the study laying out a menu of next steps. Comments by three other Board members suggested agreement that the project was in a state of drift. Yet, the Town Manager pushed back on those remarks, according to the draft meeting minutes. That kind of disagreement is exactly why clear goals and ownership matter.
Selectboard member Griggs, an architect, also reminded the Board that in May and October he had written the Chair asking to head up a working group on Tracy Hall.
Whatever one’s view of the details, this kind of disconnect between expectations and execution is exactly where clear, prioritized annual written goals can keep everyone on track
Employment agreement terms
The contract language is specific. It states:
“Annually, the Board and Employee shall define such goals and performance objectives… establish a relative priority… and said goals and objectives shall be reduced to writing.”
And the annual evaluation is to be based on:
“the Employee’s accomplishment of the goals and objectives referenced above.”
Next steps
The period after Town Meeting seems like a good time for the newly seated Selectboard to take this up: work with the Town Manager to develop specific, prioritized, written goals for the coming year—and make them accessible to the public. If helpful, the Town could also consider using a facilitator to support the discussion.
Possible steps:
- Develop a fresh set of goals for the current year (rather than simply re-adopting last year’s list).
- Discuss goals as much as possible in open session, using executive session only for genuinely confidential personnel matters.
- Post the goals on the Town website for easy reference.
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