Assistant Town Administrator Hired
Matt Haskell has been hired as the new assistant town administrator, filling the role vacated by Jennifer Hewitt last summer.
“Matt has been with the town almost 10 years now,” said Town Administrator Patrice Garvin. “He’s worked as the administrator to the Select Board; he’s worked as a budget analyst, and most recently as the business manager for the [Department of Public Works].”
He’s also provided administrative support for all Community Preservation Committee projects.
“Matt holds a tremendous amount of knowledge for the town and will be an excellent addition to the team,” Garvin said.
Garvin explained the role has changed since Hewitt occupied it. Unlike Hewitt, Haskell will not double as the town’s finance director. Instead, the town is looking to hire a chief financial officer, and is drafting a job description for that role.
As of Monday, the plan was to have the description finalized this week or early next week, with a goal of appointing someone by the end of February.
Vehicle Declared Surplus
Monday night, the Select Board voted to declare a vehicle from the Department of Public Works as surplus.
According to Matt Haskell, the vehicle is “unsafe and won’t pass inspection.” The town could receive as much as $500 for the vehicle.
Library, COA Donations Accepted
Library Board of Trustees Chair Kathy Keohane presented the Select Board with $55,111 in donations to cover the cost of the library.
“We continue to have generous donors who come in and want to support the project and that will help us reduce our final borrowing,” Keohane said.
According to Keohane, the library saw more than 10,000 visitors in its first week of operations, and that included a day-and-a-half closure for snow.
“The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” she said. “We’re delighted to welcome the community in.”
The Select Board also voted to accept a donation on behalf of the Council on Aging from the Gerber Family Trust for $16,800.
Police Chief Search Update
Nineteen candidates have applied to be Belmont’s next police chief.
“I think it shows real interest in our community,” said Police Chief Screening Committee member Mark Paolillo.
Paolillo said the screening committee has met several times so far, including once to host a public forum on what the town hopes to see in its next chief.
Based on the qualifications the screening committee expects of the chief, the job description for the role has been revised.
The committee is also working on questions to ask candidates during interviews.
According to Paolillo, the town’s consultant, John Parow, will go through the 19 applicants and narrow them down to a smaller candidate pool for the screening committee to interview during executive sessions.
Once finalists are selected, the process will become public.
