The Halifax Board of Selectmen met in-person on Tuesday, June 28. Selectman Jonathan Selig participated via remote means.
Fireworks are ‘Rousing Success”
Selectman Alex Meade read a letter from the Halifax Fireworks Committee in which they called the event a “rousing success” and said that all vendors are interested in returning next year. The Committee thanked the Halifax Fire Department, the Halifax Police Department, the Halifax Board of Health, the CERT volunteers, the Building Department, the Maintenance Department, and several individuals. They asked the Selectmen for permission to hang a banner on the town green acknowledging the donors for a week or two so residents and visitors could see the businesses and individuals responsible for the event. The Selectmen agreed to approve the request pending a bylaw review to make sure it was allowable.
HR Services and Labor Counsel
The Selectmen had an appointment with Jack Dolan regarding staff training and HR services. Dolan previously served as labor counsel with town counsel. “I’m here tonight to review with you a proposal to continue to provide labor counsel services and also to provide what I call HR counsel on demand services,” Dolan said. He previously worked with Brooks and DeRensis but has since broken off into his own firm. He said the whole purpose of his program is to provide human resource services to a community that might not have any. Dolan said that he serves five other communities with the same program. He also previously served as a town administrator for several towns.
HR Services
“You handled a significant amount of investigations for us the beginning of last year that involved town employees and committee members, is that something that would fall under the HR?” DiSesa asked. Dolan said it would exclude anything disciplinary in nature. “I think there are a number of things you could do in Halifax to reduce the likelihood of needing investigations,” Dolan told the Selectmen. He said that the investigations revealed the need for policy changes which is something that he said he could help the town manage. “How responsive are you?” DiSesa asked. “I like to think I’m extremely responsive… if I can resolve them immediately on the phone, I do,” Dolan explained.
“I’m just confused how we went from having department heads trained to having a lawyer on retainer,” Meade said regarding the conversation. “I think the way it really came about, at least from my perspective… is that I left Brooks and DeRensis and I was their labor counsel… I worked here long enough to know there is a need for a greater HR presence than you have,” Dolan explained. “ Have we been notified by Brooks and DeRensis that they are no longer supporting labor counsel?” Meade asked. He was told that they had not. Meade said he didn’t see why there was a need to retain labor counsel if they have a town counsel that has not expressed an inability to provide that service. Dolan said he could do just HR if labor counsel was not needed. Selig said he would like to see what percentage of calls to Brooks and DeRensis were HR related last year to determine if there would be a cost savings in hiring Dolan for that purpose. The Selectmen agreed to do a bit more research before deciding whether to hire Dolan and for what purpose.
Digital board problems
The Selectmen also met with Town Clerk Susan Lawless to discuss issues with the digital board at the Town Hall. She said that she had originally been under the assumption that she would be controlling what messaging would be displayed, however, she said she is not in control of it and the information is often incorrect or out of date. DiSesa said that she would reach out to IT Director Cesar Calouro to find out what can be done to improve the messaging as well as possibly give Lawless more control over the board.
Agricultural Commission
The Selectmen met with Suzanne Emerson regarding her reappointment to the Agricultural Commission. Emerson said that she has lived in town since 2008 and has been involved with livestock and agriculture for over 42 years. She said she was instrumental in the Right to Farm that passed at town meeting in 2015. “Keep up the great work, thank you,” Selig said to Emerson. The Selectmen unanimously reappointed her.
Selectmen also met with Jeanne Kling regarding her reappointment to the Beautification Committee. Kling, who has lived in Halifax for 24 years, said she feels that after five years on the Committee she has a good understanding of how to get residents motivated to participate in clean-up days. “I’m pretty motivated and really care about the environment so I feel like it is a great way to give back to the town,” Kling said. She also said that the Committee is considering an adopt an island program like the adopt a planter one currently in place. The Selectmen voted unanimously to reappoint Kling.
Town Administrator search
DiSesa read an update regarding the search for a new Town Administrator. She said that following the reopening of the search, they had 12 new applicants who were being vetted by Bernie Lynch, who was hired to lead the search. DiSesa said that two out of the three original candidates are still interested in the position. The third candidate is a finalist for a TA position in another town. Lynch anticipates the Selectmen needing to conduct three or four interviews. “I’m excited we have some new possibilities,” Selig said.
Special Police Officers loss
DiSesa read correspondence from the Police Chief that said that the Halifax Police Department would be losing three of their most dedicated special police officers as of June 30.
He said that special legislation enacted in 2022, requires that all law enforcement officers in Massachusetts attend a full-time police academy to remain certified. “These officers have given the residents of Halifax over 55 years of dedicated and professional service,” the letter from Joao Chaves said.
Flower & Soul grand opening plans
The Selectmen’s final appointment of the evening was with Flower & Soul. They said they had a soft opening on June 17 to get their processes in place and whatnot. They asked to have a grand opening on July 9 with a rain date of July 10.
They said they wanted to have 6-10 different vendors on the grass outside the store for informational purposes. No product would be sold in those areas. The Selectmen approved the event pending the necessary sign-offs from various town departments.