TRURO — After three public work sessions totaling six hours of discussion, the select board moved closer on Dec. 12 to finalizing a list of goals for next year for Town Manager Darrin Tangeman.
The list was built on earlier evaluations and concerns from last year’s performance review as well as steps Tangeman has taken since then to improve communication and community engagement.
“Many of these goals are just quantifying work that is already being done,” said board chair Susan Areson. “I don’t want to set goals that are intended to make somebody fail,” she added. “In some cases, they may be heavy lifts. In some cases, maybe not.”
The goals are focused on improving town operations, strengthening community engagement, and addressing critical infrastructure needs and include midterm and year-end benchmarks. Achieving them would mean a salary increase for Tangeman, although he pointed out that a low score would mean no increase at all.
One goal calls for a comprehensive talent development plan, including quarterly training for 80 percent of town employees and a mentorship or leadership development program for five emerging leaders.
Tangeman said it would be “pretty lofty” to accomplish all that, given the current workload, and pointed to existing union requirements, certifications, and the cost of training and overtime.
Of all the select board’s goals, Tangeman said, the talent development plan was the “most challenging,” but he also said it was crucial for Truro’s long-term staffing needs. To this end, he said it was important for the select board to publicly support a proposed human resources coordinator position as part of the omnibus budget at town meeting.
“If you’re not supporting that at town meeting and it fails, it’s hard for this to be achieved,” Tangeman said.
Select board clerk Nancy Medoff concurred and said that goal should be made contingent on approval of an HR coordinator. The board adopted that language into its draft goals.
Another goal, focused on community engagement, directs Tangeman to hold at least two public forums next year and collect feedback through exit surveys, with the results accessible to the select board.
It would be “an opportunity for the community to hear from town leadership,” said board member Sue Girard-Irwin.
Board member Bob Weinstein asked who would be responsible for processing the survey data. “I don’t think that is something that should be added to the town manager’s plate,” he said.
Areson suggested that Marketing and Communications Coordinator Katie Riconda take on that responsibility. Tangeman agreed, adding that he would also bring experts to help facilitate each of the forums.
The financial management goal suggested the establishment of a system to track expenditures quarterly against the approved budget, with variance explanations provided to the select board. Tangeman said that each department already prepares a variance report monthly, with concerns flagged to him or the finance dept.
Finance Director Alex Lessin suggested that the variance reports be based on the same quarter in the previous year, since expenditures vary widely from season to season. Lessin also said he wasn’t sure how the town’s municipal-finance software would handle such reports. “After a few months, I would probably recommend that we procure software that can do this,” said Lessin. “It will be pretty clear after a few rounds what we want to keep an eye on and what we’re okay with.”
Another goal that Tangeman is already working on is to conclude negotiations on four union contracts that expire on June 30.
“This is not something that adds to your workload,” Areson said to Tangeman. “This is something you’re going to be doing anyway, and you’ve done successfully in the past.”
Tangeman noted that union negotiations are unpredictable and time-consuming, and he said that he and other staff have to spend about 10 hours per week on them during the height of negotiations. “There’s a lot that’s out of our hands,” he said, referring to two unions that had previously pushed deadlines.
Assistant Town Manager Kelly Clark asked what the board would expect if negotiations were not completed by the deadline.
“I do believe sticking to the goal is the right thing to do for all sorts of budgetary and morale reasons,” said Areson. Nonetheless, Areson agreed to add an “escape clause” to the goal “for the possibility that a union or two may force missing the deadline.”
Tangeman agreed to provide a detailed explanation to the select board of the operational and financial consequences if a union contract deadline is missed.
The select board’s fifth goal for the town manager is to begin developing a comprehensive infrastructure by June 30 that would address housing, water and wastewater management, traffic, and environmental sustainability in Truro. The comprehensive plan would outline the scope, timelines, funding needs, and consulting requirements for various infrastructure projects, and align with the select board’s strategic land-use plan.
Tangeman said the development of a comprehensive plan should be funded with free cash, which would require voter approval at town meeting, followed by a request for proposals for a consultant.
The select board plans to finalize the details of the town manager goals and select a company to conduct Tangeman’s evaluation during its next public work session on Jan. 9.
