The following is a transcription of the Interim Town Manager Michael McGovern's Town Manager's Monthly Report spoken to the Town Council at the Monday, September 9, 2024 council meeting.

First of all, I look forward to future action this evening [appointing a new Town Manager].  I think the town has had a very good process. I congratulate the council on that process and congratulate the person that you have on the agenda for possible appointment; great choice.  I look forward to living in the community with the leadership of all of you. 

Secondly, tax bills, people might start looking for them. We said they’d be coming early September. Everything is going relatively well.  The commitment’s done. But as we expected, we have a new accounting system, the new valuations, and we also have the legacy record system that actually with the tax bills are being transferred to. It’s like three systems talking to each other. So, we’re not expecting any problems, but it just takes longer than you might think.  Also, as of the last update I had earlier today, the Finance Director was still waiting to hear back from Northern Data Systems who have been our traditional tax bill provider in terms of mailing. So, please be patient.  

Attached to Reports and Correspondence [on the agenda] is the level of expected current taxes for everyone. If anyone wants to look at that it lists everyone’s projected taxes. The first due date is October 15^th.  The assessor has set the tax rate at $11 per thousand dollars of valuation. We hope to get the bills out, but if anyone is unsure of what their taxes may be they, they can look online for what their current tax commitment is for this year. 

The assessor will be available for a few more months through the end of the year and into the beginning of next year for anyone who wants to have an informal meeting with him to discuss their values.  That’s still a possibility and as we discussed a week ago at the council workshop, there is an overlay in the budget that provides some allowances.  Individuals need not fear that because things are so tight that he [assessor] can’t make adjustments. That simply isn’t the case. He still has some flexibility to make adjustments when they are justified. 

Beyond that, it’s been a joy to be back.  Especially to see how things have evolved.  I have seen a lot of friends that I used to work with and have enjoyed working with, but Matt, my successor and predecessor, also did an outstanding job of recruiting some new individuals and some of them are in this room; the public works director, the community services director, the chief of police, the librarian, and the finance director.  The whole group is good and Pat [future town manager], there is a great staff here to work with.  I know you will enjoy working with them, as well as Steve Harding and some of the other consultants we work with. I look forward to giving Pat whatever advice he chooses to hear and he can ignore whatever advice he chooses not to hear. It’s a good community and I think the taxpayers and the citizens of the community, all of them are well served by everyone who works for the town.  

Sometimes the council process has been a little difficult, to be honest, over the last few months, but you’ve listened at all times and I think you know in the end everyone is trying to do what they think is best for the community.  I think that’s important that you’ve made some tough decisions; you haven’t always agreed, but that’s democracy. It’s the way things work and any manager needs to realize that he or she works for the council that is sitting at the dias at the time that the manager is also sitting here. You don’t work for the prior councilors, you work for all the citizens, but basically you work for the council.  I think any manager that remembers that and particularly in my case, where I have worked for over 50 councilors over the years, if you remember that you need to be responsive to who’s sitting here now whether you agree with them all the time or don’t agree with them.  It’s still the way the system needs to work. 

So, I wish Pat well and I’ll be happy to go back into my exile and do other things I did the past seven years until I took on this temporary responsibility. I mentioned you should listen to the current councilors; I think past managers should go home and keep their mouths shut and that’s what I plan to do.  I’ll be ready for any phone call that might come from the manager, but the rest of you are not going to hear much from me on local issues or management. There’s only one manager and you have a great new one coming in. Good luck to him and good luck to the community.

Michael McGovern

Interim Town Manager