Town votes to appoint, not elect, treasurer

KENT — After more than an hour of debate, residents at a special town meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 1, approved an ordinance that makes the town’s treasurer an appointed position.

 The vote was 90 to 36, with residents jamming the meeting room in Town Hall to debate the politics, practicality and budgetary factors behind the ordinance.

 The ordinance was created earlier in the year. A special study committee was appointed by the selectmen in February to study the position of the treasurer in the town’s government. The committee was made up of former Treasurer Jack Kinney, Board of Finance member George Jacobsen and Selectman Vincent LaFontan.

The special committee voted unanimously to recommend that the town make the treasurer position an appointed position as opposed to an elected position.

 At the meeting, LaFontan re-emphasized the committee’s recommendation, explaining the different factors behind the decision.

 â€œThere are many different ways municipalities in the state handle their finances,â€� LaFontan said. “By state statute, towns can either appoint or elect their treasurer. From a historical perspective, the town has had three treasurers over the past four years, which has created discontinuity in the office. The possibility of continued turnover must be considered.â€�

LaFontan added that the town’s finances have grown by 67 percent in the past seven years, from $6.4 million in 2000 to $10.7 million in 2007.

“It’s a significant change,� LaFontan said. “This will allow the selectmen to really focus on this during a non-political time of the year [a choice will be made no later than July 1, 2009] instead of during an election period.�

Residents’ opinions were mixed during the debate, with some in favor of the ordinance in order to bring the town “into the 21st century.�

Others claimed the ordinance was created out of political spite.

First Selectman Ruth Epstein said she and the rest of the selectmen are in favor of the ordinance.

“However, the selectmen are not sure the costs brought out by the committee [for a treasurer] would be something that would be obtainable,� Epstein said.

The committee recommended that the salary for the treasurer for fiscal year 2009-10 (beginning July 1) would be $18,040, plus $1,835 for an assistant, $4,000 for supplies and $50 for mileage.

Resident Leslie Levy questioned the proposed salary and said the dollar amount might be too low for a professional treasurer.

“I heard numbers [for salaries of treasurers] of other towns, including Salisbury, with $50,000 for an appointed treasurer,� Levy said. She asked Board of Finance member George Jacobsen, who was also on the special committee, how the salary was determined.

“It is extremely important to recognize that every town does things differently,� Jacobsen said. “The job description [for a treasurer in different towns] is not apples to apples. We thought this was a reasonable [salary amount] for the amount of time a professional accountant needs to do the books.

“I want to stress that the dollar amount attached to the job should not be the main focus,� he added.

First Selectman Epstein’s husband, Ed Epstein, read a written speech in which he said an appointed treasurer would hurt the town more than help it.

“I don’t see how it would be any easier to find an appointed treasurer at $16,000 a year than it would be to find people to run for elections,� Epstein said. “Anyone hired would probably leave the position as soon as possible for a full-time position with benefits. I also believe that this ordinance is politically motivated because the current treasurer asked for help last winter. Why vote in October 2008 to change a 200-year-old town tradition when the town election is next year?�

Resident Susie Williams supported the ordinance and spoke about how the situation parallelled the modernization of the Board of Assessors.

“Thirty years ago we used to have an elected Board of Assessors,� Williams said. “We opted at a town meeting similar to this to go to a professional Board of Assessors. I remember when the grand list was all written out by hand and I wrote tax bills by hands. It was ridiculous because we knew we had to get into the 20th century. Now we have to get into the 21st century.�

Current treasurer Fremont Besmer said the town has underestimated the hours needed and salary needed to fill the treasurer position.

“[Jacobsen] said that, on average, the treasurer would be paid $85 an hour to work for the town,� Besmer said. “When you do some division, $85 an hour into $16,000 is about 190 hours. When you divide 190 hours by 52 weeks, you get three-and-a-half hours a week. If you think that the job that [the treasurer] is doing is so complex that it can be done in three-and-a-half hours a week, then you’re welcome to it.�

After the debate, residents took around half an hour to approve the ordinance. After the meeting, First Selectmen Epstein said she was pleased with the vote and the meeting.

“It was good to have such a large turnout, to see a large amount of people speak,� Epstein said. “I still have concerns about what costs the position might entail, but we will keep taxpayers apprised when we advertise for the position in the spring.�