BOS agrees to try new summer hours at Town Hall

In a narrow 3-2 vote on Tuesday night, the Canton Board of Selectmen agreed to try out new summer hours at Town Hall beginning Tuesday, July 16, and ending on September 3.

Essentially, most Town Hall offices will open at 8 a.m. on weekdays and Town Hall will close at 1 p.m. on Fridays. The extended Tuesday evening hours (until 7 p.m.) will remain in place and Town Hall will close at 5 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. A formal notice regarding the revised summer schedule will be posted on the town website.

Department heads will document resident comments and visitation patterns and will report their findings to Human Resources Director Jody Middleton. Middleton said the new hours had the support of the municipal unions.

Voting to try the new hours were selectmen Tom Theodore, Chairman Chris Connolly and Mark Porter while selectmen John Connolly and Mike Loughran voted against the plan.

John Connolly, who was on the board when they added the expanded Tuesday evening hours many years ago, said he believes the hours should continue as is five days a week. “We have to serve the public,” he said. “We are a public company, not a private one. In fact, we should be open more hours than we already are.”

Loughran said he understands the wishes of Town Hall employees during the summer. “But we are in a service industry and what this does is cut our services,” he said.

Middleton and Ellen Jones of the Finance Department, who led the proposal, said there are many residents who want to pay a bill or access Town Hall at 8 a.m. while fewer people are using the building on Friday afternoons during the summer.

Selectmen will revisit the issue beginning in late August.

In other news from the July 9 meeting:

* Selectmen informed representatives from Republic Services, the town’s waste removal and recycling operator, that while they value the company as a strong business partner, they will not reopen their current contract, which runs through June 30, 2021. The recommendation was backed by Town Counsel Paul DeRensis and Town Administrator Charlie Aspinwall, who noted that the courts have thus far sided with the city of New Bedford in its contract dispute with ABC Disposal Services. Republic Services told selectmen two weeks ago that it is operating at heavy losses for its recycling collection due to recent restrictions put in place by China on recycling imports. Republic had hoped that the town would consider renegotiating the recycling rates; however, DeRensis said the current contract is valid and would stand up in court. Selectmen Chairman Chris Conolly said that if it was Canton that stood to lose money on the deal, Republic Services would still enforce the contract. Both sides agreed that they value the partnership and would keep the lines of communication open.

* Selectmen authorized Aspinwall to spend money to have vegetation removed in an effort to improve the sight lines at the intersection of Pleasant and Angela streets. Aspinwall estimated the cost of the project at $6,000 to $7,000. Future considerations for the intersection include a possible four-way stop or a traffic signal. Police Chief Ken Berkowitz and Selectman Mark Porter have called it the most dangerous intersection in town, citing, among other factors, its close proximity to the Luce Elementary School …

See this week’s Citizen for a complete recap of the July 9 selectmen’s meeting. Click here to order your subscription today.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Jul 13 2019. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.