the select board at its meeting wednesday — From left, irwin nesoff, greg grey, brian mccarthy, jerry taverna, susan short green, and town manager jennifer constable. [screenshot courtesy of Hull community TELEVISION]

By Carol Britton Meyer

Community Paradigm Associates was engaged to facilitate discussions between the Hull Select Board and Town Manager Jennifer Constable regarding governance, communication, operational processes, and strategic priorities to strengthen their working relationship following her last performance review. The final report, released in July, was presented to the select board this week.

Several opportunities to strengthen the town’s executive function were identified, related to “greater role clarity, more consistent communication, improved project prioritization, and a more structured approach to strategic planning and budgeting.”

Discussions were conducted with members of the select board and the executive leadership team related to reviewing governance practices, communication processes, and executive operations.

The report summarizes key observations and recommendations “and is not intended to address interpersonal matters among individual members.”

Key observations include:

• Governance roles and the chain of command would benefit from additional clarification.

• Communication expectations between the select board, town manager, executive team, staff, and residents are not fully defined.

• The town is managing numerous significant initiatives that would benefit from a formal prioritization process.

• Strategic planning discussions would be more effective if held separately from regular business meetings.

• The annual budget provides an opportunity to strengthen communication by incorporating recognized Government Finance Officers Association best practices.

Resulting recommendations include clarifying governance roles and chain of command; establishing communication protocols; prioritizing organizational initiatives; and enhancing budget presentations. The report also includes a timeframe for priority actions.

Under the establishing communication protocols category, recommendations include “developing written expectations governing communication among the select board, town manager, executive team, staff, and the public and clearly assigning responsibility for newsletters, social media, news releases, and other communication tools.

“Regular communication between the select board and town manager should emphasize transparency, consistency, and trust,” according to the report.

The Town of Hull is “well-positioned to strengthen its executive governance framework through relatively modest process improvements. Clear governance roles, consistent communication, disciplined project prioritization, regular strategic planning, and enhanced budget presentations will improve organizational effectiveness and reinforce a productive partnership between the select board and the town manager,” the report and accompanying letter to the board states in conclusion. “Implemented thoughtfully, these recommendations will support sound governance, strategic decision-making, and continued high-quality service to the residents of Hull.”

At Wednesday night’s meeting, Constable responded to each part of the report, with input from the board and the audience.

Click here for the consultant’s reports

Board member Irwin Nesoff suggested that more frequent progress reports from Constable on the many ongoing projects would help keep the board and citizens better informed.

Board member Susan Short Green reiterated her desire for the board to meet more regularly to enhance communication.

Resident Susan Mann said she thinks the office hours the board holds before each meeting are helpful and said it is important that the board listen to citizens and what they think, as well as providing them with information.

Board member Greg Grey noted that about 80% of the small number of citizens who normally attend town meeting are educated about the issues before they attend these sessions.

“Maybe we could put a couple of ads in the paper and posts on social media [as reminders about upcoming town meetings]. People need to study the warrant before they get there,” he said.

Green suggested that the board have “more robust” meetings earlier in the process leading up to town meeting “for citizens to get the answers they need before they get there.”

Board member Jerry Taverna, noting that people are busy with work and their children, said it is incumbent on the board to get as much information out to citizens as possible.

“We can also do a better job of shortening up what is said at town meeting [to avoid multiple sessions],” he said.

Nesoff noted that “it’s up to us to get the information out there and make it as accessible as possible, but there’s no guarantee that people will see it.”

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