Topsham selectmen Thursday will discuss looking at its process for hiring police officers and firefighters, and also talk about whether according to town code, it is time to review the town’s administrative ordinance.
Selectmen will meet at 7 p.m. at the municipal building located at 100 Main St.
The town is currently in the process of hiring a full time firefighter. For a decade or more, since the town did away with the personnel committee, it has been up to the selectmen chairman to appoint a review board that makes recommendations regarding a handful of candidates to the police chief and fire chief to start from. The chiefs conduct their own interview and hiring process from that point.
Town Manager Rich Roedner said there are no specifications as to who should be on these review committees, only that it could include selectmen.
Roedner said selectmen will mull over whether or not this is the best process for hiring police and firefighters, and whether or not they want him to start reviewing the town’s hiring practices.
The question was raised as the town is filling a new full time firefighter and EMS position, which Roedner said will help ensure a 42-hour a week shift is covered so the town can use the pool of per diems to cover other shifts.
Roedner said the fire station is currently staffed around the clock with students and per diem staff now, but the department is having a hard time finding enough volunteer or per diem firefighters to cover shifts and provide the level of service townspeople have asked for. The town has tried to provide services very cost-effectively using per diem staff, but as other departments have switched to the same system, the per diem pool has dwindled.
Roedner said Thursday the selectmen will discuss a town code that requires the town activate an Administrative Review Committee to look at whether the town’s administrative ordinance needs to be changed. Roedner said a committee was last created in 2004, and led to the creation of a charter commission which wrapped up in 2007. This resulted in a proposed charter in 2008 which was rejected by voters at the polls. A government improvement committee was then created and proposed changes to the administrative ordinance approved in 2010.
Whether this means it is time for another review or not will be up to the selectmen to decide Thursday, Roedner said.
Selectmen Thursday will also hear a presentation from Lyndon Keck with PDT Architects, about the upcoming high school project taking place in School Administrative District 75.
The board will also consider abandoning town interest in Cross Street, a paper street; allowing the Library Board an exception to town police regarding alcohol beverages so the library can hold an event; and award a bid for the recreation department truck.
The meeting will end with an executive session so the board can deliberate over an abatement and discuss personnel matters.
dmoore@timesrecord.com
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