Town Mgr

[swamper]

I don't believe it's unusual to have the town assessor step in as INTERIM TM. Let the TM Screening Committee do the task they were designated to do. That being said, I agree ultimately that an OUTSIDE individual with the expertise/requirements needed (along with open honesty, people and communication skills) would be in the best interest to serve this Town and community fairly as a whole on the road to recovery.

[tigerchief]

lol........boosting a good ol boys pay just before his retirement......some things never change

[swamper]

Hey tiger, ol' buddy! .....the cage has been rattled...lol

[qwilson]

Just curious, do people think we should ask someone to handle two jobs, work extra hours and not pay them anything additional?

If you read any of the recent articles in the paper where a town manager is moving on, most have tabbed the Chief Assessor to handle the transition. We happen to be lucky that Jay has the background and knowledge to do the job well until the Town Manager Selection Committee finds the Board three qualified candidates.

There are many good thoughts on this board, it is too bad we were only able to get 5 candidates to apply for the Town Manager Screening Committee. As a critical committee that can shape this town's future I was hoping we had some "new" people throw there hat into the ring. It is easy to complain that things stay the same in Tewksbury, it is much more difficult to get involved and try and make things different.

[swamper]

Amen.

[tigerchief]

Hey swamp....how ya doin?

Haven't visited this site in a while, looks like you're one of the last voices of reason left here ......the site looks like it's dying

Nice little gig for J Kelley......how much you figure this Town Manager gig will end up boosting his retirement benefit?

[swamper]

Ya.....not quite as vocally active as the "old days"....and not TOO much back and forth "sparring"...now that YOU'RE gone...LOL... though I'm sure there are still plenty of lurkers who just don't post. As for me, still hanging in there.....slowly catching up to the sheer numbers of le tiger!
Hope all is well in Ashby-town.

[Chasnbos]

This poor guy is being setup to fail. He seems to have the qualifications
(Richard A. Montuori
Executive Vice President, Devens Operations and Defense Sector Initiatives
Richard Montuori joined MassDevelopment in December 2004 as senior vice president for operations in Devens. Mr. Montuori brings nearly two decades of municipal administrative experience, having worked most recently as town manager for Billerica. Prior to that, Mr. Montouri was the town administrator in Marshfield and worked as an administrative assistant to the board of selectmen in Clinton.
In Devens, Mr. Montouri is responsible for planning, organizing, directing, and coordinating interdepartmental activities and special projects, budget preparation and analysis, personnel administration, and risk management.
He holds a B.A. in Public Policy/Administration and a M.A. in Public Administration from Suffolk University
) but residents are going to expect this guy to walk on water while spinning straw into gold for that salary. I hope he can find a way to squeeze from 800k up to 5M as forcasted for 2011 deficit from the present situation. I hope they have a clause in his contract that states give backs are part of our climate and between 5-10 % annually is expected.


Town, Montuori agree on terms
Both sides give a little in negotiations
By Alexandra Mayer-Hohdahl, amayer-hohdahl@lowellsun.com
Updated: 12/16/2009 06:42:55 AM EST


TEWKSBURY -- Town leaders and the man they picked to be Tewksbury's next town manager have settled on a new contract that would make Richard Montuori one of the highest-paid municipal leaders in Greater Lowell.

But Selectmen Chairman Todd Johnson, who helped cut the deal, was quick to note that the overall package is comparable to what Tewksbury's first town manager made -- and is more favorable to the community in at least one respect.

Selectmen voted unanimously last night to extend an offer of employment reflecting the terms of the contract to Montuori.

Because he has to give a 30-day notice to his current employer at MassDevelopment, the 47-year-old Chelmsford resident and former Billerica town manager is not expected to take over Tewksbury's reins until at least February.

"The negotiations were positive and spirited," Johnson said. "In the end, both sides sought to do what was reasonable."

Despite writing in his cover letter that he would expect "$155,000 per year plus benefits," Montuori has agreed to a base salary of $148,000.

Former Town Manager David Cressman's salary was $132,300, but he also received an annual longevity of $15,814 -- for a total of $148,114. Tewksbury has since phased out that benefit.

Both Cressman and Montuori's contracts feature 20 vacation days, 15 sick days and $1,000 for professional development annually. Montuori will also receive:

n A monthly expense allowance of $500 (up from $450 for Cressman).


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n An annual annuity of $5,000 (down from $7,500 for Cressman).

n A new annual benefit of $1,000 for life insurance and long-term disability coverage.

But the biggest change, Johnson said, is that Montuori will not be reimbursed for unused sick days when he leaves Tewksbury.

Cressman's deal awarded him 40 percent of the value of accumulated sick time upon termination. When he left in October, Cressman thus received a payout of more than $70,000.

"That long-term liability to our town has been eliminated," Johnson noted. "In the final analysis, I hope that residents can see that the benefits remain similar."

The overall compensation package is comparable to that of Lowell City Manager Bernie Lynch, who is the highest paid municipal leader in Greater Lowell. His base salary is $145,000.

In other business, selectmen granted the embattled Mavericks restaurant and lounge one final reprieve last night.

The board was to consider whether the eatery should have its town licenses yanked because of a repeated failure to pay taxes.

Selectmen instead voted to continue the hearing until their Jan. 12 meeting, after learning that $35,000 has been paid to clear Mavericks' tax title.

That still leaves about $8,500 in overdue real estate, personal property, water and sewer bills, which owners Richard and Renee Proctor pledged to pay off in January.

"Let me apologize on my behalf and my client's behalf," attorney Leonard Glionna said. "This is not something that was done willfully. This is a product of the economic times we're in."

[swamper]

Thanks for posting that. The negotiations sound reasonable to me with both sides willing to compromise. Good that the BOS phased out that "killer" payout. Nothing is going to be "easy" for our new TM but we as tax paying residents should expect him to work hard to the best of his ability on behalf of OUR WHOLE town, and in turn giving him a fair chance while showing positive support. Good Luck to Mr. Montuori.

[cjsmom]

Glad also Maverick's is getting caught up. I still remember when they donated $2K to the Trahan when some sleazeball stole the proceeds from the holiday fair a few years ago. And, I maintain that they serve the best burger & rings in town.

[Chasnbos]

Dear Local Official,

As we finalize our Fiscal Year 2011 budget proposal, I am pleased to inform you of my intention to propose funding local aid at more than $5.2 billion next fiscal year.

Despite the fiscal challenges the Commonwealth continues to face, I will propose taking another step forward in our commitment to education by funding Chapter 70 at the highest level in the history of the Commonwealth at $4.048 billion. Every district will be fully funded at foundation, all districts will be held harmless to ensure funding is not less than fiscal year 2010 levels, and all Chapter 70 amounts will be funded by the State, not with deferral stimulus funds.

On the non-school, municipal side, I will propose funding unrestricted general government aid at fiscal year 2010 level of $936 million. I will also propose level funding other key local aid accounts, including payment-in-lieu-of-taxes and regional school transportation.

Chapter 70 and Unrestricted General Government Aid numbers for each community is available at: http://www.mass.gov/Ador/docs/dls/mdmst ... _Sec_3.xls

As is customary, our proposal for all Cherry Sheet accounts will be available when our budget proposal is filed on January 27th.

Through our Fiscal Year 2011 budget, additional filings and submissions to the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government, our Administration is also proposing a number of new tools to support local governments, including:

A local pension funding relief initiative to help local systems address unprecedented asset losses in a fiscally responsible way. Communities could save up to $200 million statewide in the first year of the proposed new schedule.
An optional Early Retirement Incentive program for cities and towns.
A rate freeze on special education private placements that could save $3.2M .
Relief from library “maintenance of effort” requirements and decertification rules
Allowing regional school districts to share superintendents, providing savings and efficiencies.
Allowing regional school districts greater access to stabilization funds.
Allowing local government procurement from state energy resource contracts.
$250K in a reserve account to study the adequacy of the Chapter 70 foundation budget and formula.
A local aid study commission to evaluate local aid formulas.


We look forward to working with you during the budget process.

Sincerely,




Deval L. Patrick
Governor

pLEASE VOTE FOE ME