Wayland Will Revisit Effort To Transform Government Structure

WAYLAND, MA — An effort to revamp Wayland town government is back on the agenda in 2021 after the issue was pushed off the 2020 annual Town Meeting warrant due to the pandemic.

The proposed Wayland Select Board-Town Manager Act would create a hierarchy in town government with all departments except schools reporting to a town manager. The Select Board would remain as the policy-setting board.

The Board of Selectmen-approved article says the change is needed to streamline how town government functions. Some departments report to volunteer boards, and others report to the Town Administrator. The fragmentation puts the town at risk of falling out of compliance with state and federal laws, and is inefficient as the town grows, the article says.

"Currently the Town Administrator has 20 direct reports and six department heads appointed by boards and managed by both boards and the Town Administrator," the article highlights. "More than 40 board and committees source ideas and projects and set priorities for staff. There is little coordination of functions, efforts, or priorities among boards and committees. Town efforts are fragmented rather than organized to work toward a common goal."

RELATED: Wayland Attempts To Get Rid Of 'Flat' Town Government

Structural changes to Wayland's government have been recommended before by two outside studies: one completed in 2004 by the firm Maximus Group, and another in 2018 by the Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center at UMass Boston.

The act, along with many other articles, was removed from the September 2020 Town Meeting warrant in an effort to keep the proceedings short due to health and safety concerns. The 2021 Town Meeting is scheduled to begin on May 15.

The Select Board-Town Manager Act is one of several on the warrant that would make changes to town government. Another article, brought by a group of petitioners, would create a board to appoint members of the Finance Committee. The Board of Selectmen appoint those members presently. Another article would create a Wayland Human Rights Commission to deal with issues around justice and equity.

The town manager article will be up for discussion on Wednesday at the 2021 Town Meeting workshop. The public can attend to hear more about this and other articles from the sponsors. The workshop begins at 6:30 p.m. and will air on WayCAM and Zoom.

Correction: An earlier version of this article did not correctly attribute the Select Board-Town Manager Act article to the Board of Selectmen.