NORWAY — Over the next few years, many town department heads will become eligible for retirement at the same time, leaving the town with the prospect of having to fill several positions in a short time.
These include town manager, police chief, fire chief, town clerk, recreation director, highway department foreman and finance director.
Town Manager David Holt said that while there are no mandatory retirement requirements for Norway employees, “most of the people currently filling the positions have indicated a desire to retire when they are eligible for Medicare.”
He added, “The Board of Selectmen may wish to discuss each situation with (me) and the department heads to see if it is appropriate to develop a strategy for a smooth, affordable and effective transition.”
Holt said he plans to retire in two and a half years. He has served as Norway’s town manager for 27 years, and as a town manager in general for 40 years.
He said that in Norway, the town manager nominates “most” department heads, while the Board of Selectmen confirms them.
“A person new to the town might replace most of the department heads,” Holt said. “This may be one reason to develop a strategy now, to allow for an orderly transition.”
Carol Millett, the town’s finance officer, is the same age as Holt, and has been serving in her position for 44 years. Holt said that if she were to retire at the same time as he did, a new assistant “would not fill the void of the loss of institutional knowledge” that Millett offers.
“She is familiar with all aspects of the town’s operation and is capable of filling most of the positions in the Town Office during absences, including the town manager,” Holt said. “Currently, there is no one in the town’s employ who has expressed an interest in this position.”
Anyone who replaces Millett “must work with Carol for a while,” Holt said, and while Millett’s replacement was receiving training, budgeting for two people would be required.
Another department head who faces retirement eligibility within the next two years is Jim Tibbetts, who has been the town’s road foreman for several years and an employee of the Highway Department for “several decades,” Holt said.
“The town manager is the road commissioner, and he and the foreman discuss work schedules, expenditure of funds, and personnel issues within the department,” Holt said. “Jim has put an emphasis on getting work done.”
Holt said that when the time comes to select a replacement to head up the Highway Department, a number of things should be considered.
“Norway has always promoted from within, but the skills necessary to administer the Highway Department have changed,” he said. “There should be an evaluation of merging several existing functions into a true Public Works Department.”
He added that the job description and list of qualifications for the road foreman should be reviewed and updated and presented to the Board of Selectmen for approval.
Fire Chief Dennis Yates, who has served with the Norway Fire Department for decades and is in the middle of his third term as chief, likely will retire around the same time as Holt, Millett and Tibbetts.
“Norway elects its fire chief,” Holt said. “(Yates) is knowledgeable and is respected and popular within the department. That balance is the key as it becomes time to find a replacement. The chief must be competent and knowledgeable, and must also be accepted within the department.”
Prior to the retirement of Yates, Holt said that “a system for selecting the next chief needs to be discussed and put before voters.”
The next election of a Norway fire chief will be in June 2018, Holt said. “A proposal for the selection of a fire chief needs to be on the ballot between November 2016 and June 2017.”
Beyond the next two years, Holt said other town officials, including Police Chief Rob Federico, Town Clerk Shirley Boyce and Recreation Director Debra Partridge will become eligible for retirement “in about five or six years.”
Holt said “no immediate action is required” for those town officials, though it “should be kept in mind as decisions about future organization and staffing are made.”
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