Holbook Ma TGSC FAQ 5-13

Holbrook TGSC FAQ
What is the TGSC? TGSC stands for The Town Government Study Committee. After
many years of discontent among the citizens of Holbrook, the Board of Selectmen
reactivated the dormant committee in October of 2008. The TGSC was given the charge
to examine all aspects of town government and make recommendations to improve the
efficiency of government and allow for the best use of taxpayer monies as it relates to the
operation of town government.
What is a Charter? A Charter is a document outlining the principles, functions, and

organization of a corporate body; a constitution. Many organizations have charters
including Little Leagues to Fortune 500 companies; the United States Constitution is a
Charter.
What is wrong with Holbrook’s current charter? Holbrook does not currently have a
Charter. Holbrook’s organization and functions are borne out of a series of disjointed
Massachusetts General Laws and Massachusetts State statutes accepted and/or rejected,
some over 100 years ago, and town by-laws. This Charter takes our current government
principles, functions and organization and puts it into one clean document while making
modifications in some areas.
Who gets to vote on the charter? All voters in Holbrook will have a vote on the final
proposed Charter. For the Holbrook Charter to be enacted it will require. First a majority
vote of town meeting, then a Majority vote of the State legislature, then approval by the
Governor, and finally a majority vote at a Holbrook Town Election. Article 10-1
What is a Strong Town Manager? In the proposed Charter a strong Town Manager is
defined as the COO and CFO for all town operations, excluding schools and libraries. We
currently have many “chiefs” who oversee their individual department’s role and function
in operations and finances. We currently have no one individual or board responsible for
all aspects of town operations. A comparison can be drawn to School Districts in
Massachusetts which have a Superintendent who serves the function of COO and CFO
for the school district; we are replicating this “superintendent” position on the town
operational side of government with that of Town Manager.
Will there still be a Town Meeting? Yes, a 240 member Representative Town Meeting
remains in effect and oversees the final approval of all legislative actions, including
Town Budget, Zoning and all other legislative actions currently charged to Town
Meeting. We have added some additional rules aimed at ensuring members will fulfill
their obligation to attend the Town Meetings on a regular basis. Article 2
Why is the number of Library Trustees changed? The Library Trustees will be
changing from 3 members to 5 members. The Trustees are charged with an operating
budget of over $280k annually, as well as contract negotiations, and a capital budget than
can be in excess of $300k. A five member board allows for a greater level of debate while
still remaining small in enough for a community like Holbrook to support. Article 3-6
Who will be the town manager? A 5 member screening committee will be appointed to
review applicants and provide 3-5 names to the BOS for final approval. The BOS will
only be able to appoint one of the screening committee recommendations. Article 10-4-1
(d)
When does this Charter go into effect? The effective date of the Charter is July 1st after
approval by the voters of Holbrook at a town election. The current timeline would have
the Charter being on the ballot of the town election in spring 2011, and would then have
an effective date of July 1st 2011. Some portions of the charter will have varying effective
dates of implementation. Article 10-4
How much will this change cost the town and can we afford it? One axiom we can use
is “failing to plan is planning to fail.” It is unclear exactly how much having our current
structure has exactly cost the taxpayer in additional costs, but one thing we do is charge
one individual with the responsibility of ensuring the government operates cohesively.
Many Holbrook officials tell us that we are spending significant amounts of funds now
dealing with HR issues that may have been handled incorrectly prior, as well as MIS
concerns that can improve efficiency and ultimately save and offset any additional costs
for improvement. With the higher level of responsibility charged to individuals and the
additional tools now given this charter can be implemented with a net zero cost to the
town.
Didn’t we just vote to have an Elected Treasurer/Collector? Yes, less than 9% of the
population voted in the spring 2010 election and 40 votes or .6% of the electorate decided
the question. Our plan is more encompassing than that single question of one position and
the charter has a clear structure and need for it to be appointed.
Why don’t we just switch to a mayor like Braintree or Weymouth? Due to our
population size we are too small for a Mayoral government structure according to State
law. State law requires you have a population of over 12,000. Holbrook has a population
of approximately 11,000.
What happens to people currently employed by the town? Employees will serve out
current elected terms and/or appointments. See section 10-4
Is this charge for change sake? NO. Over 90% of the proposed charter does not change
from how we operate today it merely codifies our current structure and puts it into one
document instead of several if not hundreds of documents. The changes that are proposed
have a basis derived from at least one and usually several of the following sources:
employees, department heads, town officials, town meeting members, state officials,
independent literature, studies and reviews of other towns and similar organizations. The
changes proposed are crucial to allow our government to operate efficiently and grow
with the demands placed on it by you the citizens of Holbrook.

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What is a Charter? A Charter is a document outlining the principles, functions, and

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