Marblehead currently has two open positions following the resignation of Finance Director Aleesha Benjamin and the forthcoming retirement of Town Administrator Thatcher W. Kezer.
At the July 22 select board meeting, Kezer gave an update on the search to fill these soon-to-be vacant positions. Benjamin announced her resignation on July 10 and will leave at the end of August, and Kezer will depart at the end of this year.
Kezer emphasized the importance of having a new chief financial officer in place before the start of the next budget cycle, adding the position requires someone with “top-of-the-pyramid municipal financial knowledge.”
To find someone with this level of expertise and to replace his own position, Kezer recommended that the town hire the Collins Center as a recruiting service. A recruiting firm will be helpful to find candidates who are not necessarily looking for a job, he said.
The Collins Center proposed charging $16,000 to recruit a new town administrator and an additional $10,000 for a chief financial officer. In the town’s budget, these expenses will fall under the line item for professional consulting services.
To cover the role while the town searches for a new chief financial officer, Kezer recommended hiring a member of the CliftonLarsonAllen to focus on financial matters and a retired Massachusetts Department of Revenue member to train new staff.
Architect Koelle appointed to Planning Board
In other business, the Select Board appointed Susan Koelle to the town’s Planning Board.
Koelle has been a licensed architect for 20 years. For 10 of those years, she has owned her own firm in Marblehead, where she manages commercial and residential projects. Prior to opening her own firm, Koelle worked on a wide variety of projects, including major parks, affordable housing and high-end corporate interiors. She has lived in Marblehead for over 10 years.
“I’d love to help out however I can. I’m always impressed with all the community members taking time to be on boards,” Koelle said.
The board had planned to interview both Koelle and incumbent Steve Leverone before voting on whom to select. But when it was Leverone’s turn to be interviewed, he announced that he would not be running again.
“I want to thank the members of the Planning Board and the select board. I’ve learned a lot about how this town works and enjoyed the opportunity,” he said.
Koelle’s term on the planning board will expire in 2029.
New service to survey community’s opinions
Flashvote, a surveying service to gauge public opinion, went live in Marblehead’s town website on Wednesday.
The service asks residents to sign up to join the “panel,” which will allow them to partake in surveys via email, phone call or text. All residents can view the results of the surveys.
At the meeting, Flashvote Chief Executive Officer Kevin Lyons said the service would be able to provide the town with better data on the community’s desires, which could help improve town decisionmaking.
“It’s powerful when we ask the community for feedback in a constructive way and then share the results,” customer support member Jeff Sereni said.
The service can provide the town with statistically valid data in 48 hours, Lyons said.
Eligibility set for senior tax exemption
The board also approved the guidelines of eligibility for Marblehead’s new senior tax exemption.
This tax exemption has been created for and tailored to the needs of Marblehead residents, said Finance Committee Chair Molly Teets. It is designed to work in conjunction with Massachusetts’ state Senior Circuit Breaker income tax relief credit when individuals need further aid.
“It’s really meant to help the seniors who need it the most,” Teets said.
After doing research, Teets found that there were around 100 Marblehead residents who would be eligible for this tax credit. Because the town has $200,000 set aside to fund it, Teets recommended and the board approved $2,000 as maximum exemption for each participant.
The board also agreed on what constituted “excessive assets.” This is defined differently depending on the tax break, but the board decided that to be eligible, residents must not own a second home.
Residents also must be at least 65 years of age and have lived in Marblehead for 10 years.
Teets said she hoped to host workshops and info sessions to inform seniors in the community of this new program.
