The meeting began with several attendees experiencing difficulties accessing the Zoom link due to the absence of a URL in the agenda. Despite some members joining through their calendars, others struggled to access the meeting. Participants exchanged suggestions to help those having trouble, including exchanging phone numbers and sending emails with the link. The issue underscored a broader concern about accessibility and effective communication among board members.

Once the technical issues were resolved, the board shifted its focus to personnel matters. The search for an administrative secretary and a land use clerk was a primary topic. A member reported on the progress of interviewing candidates, noting that Abby Hernandez had been interviewed on Wednesday and again on Friday. There was optimism about her potential appointment. Another candidate, Matteo Pangal, who has volunteered in various town capacities, expressed interest in the land use clerk position. Interviews for this role were scheduled for Saturday at 3 PM with the chairs from the Zoning Board of Appeals, Planning Board, and Conservation Commission. A recommendation for this position would also be presented to the select board on Tuesday.

The meeting also addressed the resignation of Steve Sullivan, which occurred on the 12th. This prompted discussions about interviewing an in-house candidate, with potential interviews to be conducted by the Select Board on Monday or Tuesday night. Clarification on the scheduling of these interviews was necessary, as there was some confusion among the members.

The board then turned its attention to policy updates. Melissa reported issues with the documents she prepared, explaining that she had compressed and encrypted the files, which led to concerns about their content and format. These documents, dating back to 2012, included various personnel policies, such as a pregnancy policy from 2017. There was a debate over whether Melissa’s updates were merely reformats or if they included changes. Becky raised concerns about the divergence from the original documents, emphasizing the need for a clear comparison between the original and updated versions. Melissa reassured the board that the intent of the policies remained intact despite the updates, and she had drawn from other municipalities to create a cohesive personnel handbook. However, she acknowledged the challenges she faced in accessing the original text, as she only had scanned copies that were not easily readable.

The discussion briefly touched on the “strong Chiefs” agenda item, which was subsequently deleted. There was also an inquiry about the status of Town Administrator contract negotiations. It was noted that the Select Board had decided to have one of its members meet with the Personnel Board and a FinCom member to address the matter, although specifics were not yet clear.

As the meeting drew to a close, members proposed reconvening on October 17th to ensure that all members could attend and continue the discussions. A unanimous vote to adjourn was taken, and the next meeting was confirmed for October 17th at 6:30 PM.