During their July 15 meeting, the Kingston Board of Selectmen unanimously approved adopting a Massachusetts Civil Service Hybrid Model that allows the police department to hire officers through lateral transfers while maintaining traditional civil service requirements.
The Local Register Hiring Program, authorized under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 31, provides an additional hiring option for the police department without abandoning the existing civil service system. Lieutenant John Bateman of the Kingston Police Department explained that the program addresses ongoing hiring challenges across the commonwealth.
“It’s a good option for the town,” Bateman said. “There’s issues with hiring all throughout the commonwealth, and to be able to retain people, sometimes it’s fiscally responsible to be able to take someone as, per se, a lateral, take them on and hire them from a non-civil service town.”
The hybrid model requires that no more than 50% of officers can be hired outside the traditional civil service process after five years. Town Administrator Keith Hickey emphasized this provides flexibility while maintaining standards.
“It allows for us to attract, potentially recruit and hire a sworn officer for a lateral transfer, where right now we may not be able to, or may not be able to as easily,” Hickey said. “So it just makes life a little bit easier for the police department to keep their sworn officer fully staffed.”
The board also authorized the Police Chief and Town Administrator to engage in impact bargaining with affected labor units regarding the new hiring program.
In other personnel matters, the board appointed Krystal Rich as Assistant Town Treasurer with an anticipated start date of July 28. The appointment followed a competitive interview process conducted by Town Treasurer Ken Moalli.
Board member Carl Pike had requested to see the candidate’s resume, stating he wanted assurance about qualifications when asked to approve hiring decisions, but questioned whether it was necessary to involve the board in all hiring.
“I believe that the Board of Selectmen should be involved when you’re hiring department managers or directors, whatever we call them, but that the human resources group, the department heads, the town administrator should have authority to hire some of these lower positions without coming before the Board of Selectmen,” Pike said.
The board approved a temporary road closure request from Christopher Kastanek for Foxworth Lane on Saturday, Aug. 30, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. The closure includes conditions requiring emergency vehicle access, proper barricade placement, and neighborhood notification.
Multiple one-day liquor licenses received approval for Forty Second Brew Co. events, including a Gears and Beers event at Jones River Storage on July 26 and South Coast Cruisers events at Kingston Collection on July 19, 26, and Aug. 2.
The board also approved an amendment to a pilot agreement with Kearsarge Kingston LLC for solar panels on the town landfill. The modification clarifies language regarding land ownership, as Kingston owns the property being leased to the solar company. Hickey confirmed the amendment is revenue neutral.
Four individuals received appointments as special police officers through Dec. 31, 2025: Scott Peterson, Edward McDonald, Kaitlyn Mori, and David Hurley. These positions allow officers to work details and provide additional coverage when needed.
The board approved end-of-year line item transfers totaling approximately $250,000 after Finance Committee review. Pike noted the transfers represent less than 1% of the annual budget excluding education costs.
“Anybody that thinks they can budget within 1% on an annual basis, I’d like to hire them,” Pike said. “So I think it’s a good job.”
A special town meeting timeline received approval for Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. The timing aligns with Massachusetts School Building Association requirements for the school roof project.
During his administrator’s report, Hickey announced several upcoming initiatives. The Kingston School Committee plans to request creation of a school zone on Second Brook Street in front of Elementary and Intermediate Schools, with full police department support.
Street, Trees, and Parks will repave sidewalks on Main Street from Elm Street to Summer Street using Chapter 90 funds. The temporary repairs will address tree root damage and safety concerns.
“We’ve had a couple of people trip and fall, and we want to address that before it comes to liability,” Hickey said.
Hickey also reported initial discussions with Veterans Agent Sara Lansing and the Duxbury Town Manager about forming a Veterans district between the two communities. However, he expressed concerns about increased costs, as guidelines would require adding a full-time administrative position to support the Veterans Agent.
The regionalization study committee continues meeting with UMass Boston’s Collins Center to examine potential school regionalization with Plympton and Halifax, regionalizing Silver Lake through all grade levels.
“The Collins Center estimates it’ll take about 18 months, so we won’t see anything at next spring’s town meeting,” Hickey explained. He stressed that the study will stick to the facts. “It’ll be objective, giving people the information they need to make their own decisions,” Hickey said.
The study will look at population trends, financial forecasts, and get input from staff, teachers, and administrators across the school districts involved. Selectman Melissa Bateman highlighted the importance of including school employees in the study group.
The Collins Center plans to kick off the study with public meetings in each town to gather community input. They’ll likely present their final recommendations to all participating towns together.
Hickey pointed out that the study could have extra benefits beyond just looking at regionalization. “It might give us useful insights into budgeting and staffing for all three schools going forward,” he said.
Board members discussed scheduling collaborative budget meetings with finance committees and school committees from both Kingston and Silver Lake regional schools for fiscal year 2027 planning. These discussions aim to create unified budget presentations for next spring’s town meeting.
The board concluded the public session before entering executive session for non-union contract discussion.