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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-03-23 Select Board Minutesaka OF Board - Committee Town of Reading Meeting Minutes Commission - Council: Select Board Date: 2026-03-23 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Reading Town Hall Address: 16 Lowell Street Purpose: General Business Attendees: Members - Present: Location: Select Board Meeting Room Session: Open Session Version: Final Chris Haley, Melissa Murphy, Karen Rose -Gillis, Carlo Bacci, Karen Gately Herrick (Remote) Members - Not Present: Others Present: Acting Town Manager Jayne Wellman, Human Resources Director Sean Donahue, Director of Operations Katie Gabriello, Karen Janowski, Carla Nazarro, Angela Binda, Ed Ross, Town Clerk Laura Gemme (Remote), Conservation Administrator Chuck Tirone (Remote), Executive Assistant Joshua Delaune (Remote), RCN Studios (Remote), Joanne Woolridge (Remote), Nora Bucko (Remote) Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Madeleine Baptiste Topics of Discussion: This meeting was held in the Town Hall Select Board Meeting Room and remotely via Zoom. Chris Haley called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM and provided a brief overview of the evening's agenda. Mr. Haley also took roll call attendance as one member was remote. Roll Call Attendance: Karen Gately Herrick — Here, Carlo Bacci — Here, Melissa Murphy — Here, Karen Rose -Gillis — Here, Chris Haley — Here Town Manager Candidate Interview: Jayne Wellman Acting Town Manager Jayne Wellman began the interview by reading an opening statement. Ms. Rose -Gillis asked Ms. Wellman what she anticipates the biggest challenge to be in moving from Assistant Town Manager to Town Manager. Ms. Wellman stated that she has previous experience advising many departments in her roles in Reading and this would serve as a broader level of advisement than her current role. She further noted that the role of Town Manager would require a deeper understanding of the needs of Department Heads, and she has already been sitting with them and will ask them about their needs and priorities currently as well as going forward. Ms. Murphy asked for Ms. Wellman's thoughts and ideas on alleviating budget concerns over the next year. Ms. Wellman noted that Reading has strong grant funding and that will help but will not solve the issue. She explained her thoughts that a possible restructure of staffing could be a potential strategy as most of the budget is in staffing. Ms. Wellman noted that other things that have already been investigated include seeing if savings can be found in the structure of the Town's health insurance and seeking greater savings from the Town's property and casualty insurance company. Mr. Bacci asked Ms. Wellman if an override fails, would layoffs of Town Staff be an option. Page I 1 Ms. Wellman noted that if it came to a failed override, this would be an option. She stated that she will always be honest and that FY28 will be a pinch point and layoffs may have to be a factor. She explained that she would seek to avoid doing this and noted her appreciation for the Town Staff. Mr. Bacci asked Ms. Wellman's thoughts on how to make Reading more of a destination. Ms. Wellman noted that Reading is a destination for people that aspire to live in the community. She also expressed her thoughts that in terms of people visiting and spending money in Reading, they are spending at stores such as Jordans Furniture and soon the Trader Joes that will be opening. She also noted that she thinks community events such as the Fall Street Faire attract people. Lastly, she stated that the Department Heads and new Building Commissioner, Brendan Vigneault, are working together to make starting a business in Reading an easy and seamless process and that Town Staff care about the success of Reading's businesses. Ms. Gately Herrick asked Ms. Wellman if she were Town Manager, with two major building projects, how she would approach hiring an Assistant Town Manager. Ms. Wellman noted when she applied for Assistant Town Manager it was a competitive and thorough process. She stated that her plan would take the same approach as that previous process as she felt it worked well by having it be a competitive search. She further noted that she would tailor the job description to include the skills of the candidate to be complimentary to her skillsets and include things that she may not be an expert on. Ms. Wellman stated her plans to stay as lead on the building project. She encouraged Board members to share their input with her as to what qualities they wish to see in the Assistant Town Manager. Mr. Haley asked Ms. Wellman how she plans to address the funding and stating shortfall regarding the ReCAL building. Ms. Wellman noted that several meetings have taken place to discuss this and part-time staffing costs would be funded by the Recreation Revolving fund. She stated that she has budget concerns regarding how facilities will be funded because their current request is for three new staff members and the cost of utilities will be an increase as well as the cost of cleaning the building. She noted that a portion of those costs would be offset by rental income. She concluded her answer by noting that a way to earn more would be through paid programming and renting the space on the weekends and Town Staff will continue conversations on this. Ms. Rose -Gillis asked Ms. Wellman about her thoughts on what makes a good or excellent Town Manager and does having administrative experience in Reading make a difference. Ms. Wellman shared that she does feel having administrative experience in Reading does make a difference due to it providing her with the knowledge of municipal laws, specifics of the charter, and things that would cause an outside candidate to have a bigger lift coming into the role without that same knowledge. She stated that she believes in professional management and its detail. She noted key qualities of a good Town Manager include listening to those around them and synthesizing the information to provide solutions and caring about solving things. She also noted that she feels it is important to be curious, ask questions, be innovative, and be comfortable with being uncomfortable. She concluded by stating the importance of seeking new opportunities and challenges, finding ways to say yes to things, and simply being available for people. Ms. Murphy asked what Ms. Wellman believes to be Reading's top three priorities in the next 6 to 12 months. Ms. Wellman shared she believes the top three priorities for Reading are bringing in projects on time and under budget, keeping those projects controlled, and putting the Board in the best position to know what is coming for FY28 and providing them with ample data to ease their decision making. She noted that herself and Town Staff want to support the Board in their decision making and that is one of the reasons she is looking to have the Board's retreat in May. She concluded by sharing that another priority would be to see how the major building projects and budget are impacting vulnerable residents and seek solutions to ease the burden on those individuals. Mr. Bacci asked Ms. Wellman if she always wanted to be a Town Manager. Ms. Wellman shared that when she began her career in Reading 10 years ago, she knew from that day her goal was to be a Town Manager. She said she has gained valuable skills and steps to help her achieve this goal have been through progressing responsibilities in Reading and earning a master's degree. Mr. Bacci asked Ms. Wellman about what she would do differently than the previous Town Manager. Ms. Wellman shared that her and previous Town Manager Matt Kraunelis are different leaders that complimented one another. She noted that he was an excellent mentor and she would strive to be like him in the way that he managed staff by letting them thrive in their roles and being there for them while not micromanaging. She stated they she and Mr. Kraunelis differ in the sense that she will need more support in the legal aspects and the Bylaw Committee, which Mr. Kraunelis really enjoyed. Ms. Wellman concluded by stating they she will try to lead with humor and by being present and happy to be in front of the public. Ms. Gately Herrick asked Ms. Wellman about her approach to staff development, regarding the Mattera Cabin, and how she would address concerns from residents on staffing for ReCAL. Ms. Wellman noted that if the Town loses staff through attrition, it would affect services. She shared that the new Building Commissioner is working to open Matters Cabin and she is looking at long-term plans for staffing in the building department with retirements in the future. She noted that as far as the human services department is concerned, they will reinstitute programming costs. Ms. Gately Herrick followed up by asking Ms. Wellman what she plans to do to ensure department budgets do not run out quickly. Ms. Wellman noted that in the case of the Elder and Human Services department, that paid programming should have been implemented earlier as opposed to keeping programs free for as long as possible before starting payment. She noted that Staff made that decision at the time to lessen the burden on people, and she believes that the department heads do a good job with their budgeting. Mr. Haley asked Ms. Wellman about the lessons learned from the MBTA Tumback Track and how she will apply the knowledge moving forward to related transportation projects. Ms. Wellman shared that from this, the Town has seen that state agencies are not great with communicating down to localities. She said that a lesson she learned was that the Town must watch and work closely with the legislative delegation to ensure better communication. She further stated that it is important for the Town to be diligentaboutattending meetings regarding these transportation topics and cited her previous experience as a Chair of a regional planning agency that provided her with knowledge and a better understanding of how the system works. She concluded by noting that she has been attending MBTA advisory board meetings and plans to continue her involvement. Ms. Rose -Gillis asked Ms. Wellman about how the Select Board could better support her as Town Manager. Ms. Wellman shared that it would be communication, and she wishes to talk and meet with members frequently to understand their thoughts, needs, and concerns as she would like to be prepared to do the necessary work to solve things for them. Ms. Wellman noted that she is seeking their support to do all the tasks she needs to and know the Board will back her. Ms. Murphy asked Ms. Wellman about her strategy for handling misinformation and highly emotional public meetings. Ms. Wellman noted that in her time as a Select Board member in the Town of Tewksbury, she would ask the Town Manager to weigh in on topics that she would speak on and give the Town Manager an opportunity to provide information in a knowledgeable and non -confrontational manner. She shared that she feels currently, she can interject politely and formally to prevent misinformation from getting out to the public during meetings. She stated that when things get emotional at meetings, her thought is that it is effective to communicate and deescalate the situation and offer to solve problems at a different time, following the meeting. Mr. Bacci asked Ms. Wellman what she would offer to the Market Basket property owner to get them to activate the property, in relation to the Eastern Gateway project. Ms. Wellman noted that the Town has engaged with Mr. Danis, and she believes that further conversation needs to be had to understand Mr. Danis's vision for the property. She stated that she cannot make him do anything but wants to let him know the Town is interested in the property and explain to him how the Town plans and develops land for future growth and puts in the important work with landowners. Ms. Gately Herrick asked Ms. Wellman about any experience she has had with capital planning and review of fiscal policies. Ms. Wellman shared that her background is in state and local public finance and she has both private and public sector experience. She stated that she has done fiscal policy analysis previously and that Reading has some of the best fiscal policy in the state. She said she hopes to speak with the Board about how the Town does capital planning at their Retreat in May as she is aware people have ideas regarding capital planning. She cited an example of how in another community, they set money aside for resident projects which allows residents to come forward with suggestions. Ms. Wellman supported this idea as she said it helps with community engagement. Ms. Wellman concluded by noting that if the CPA passes, it would change the way the Town funds capital projects and she wishes to bring back level funded budgets. Mr. Haley asked Ms. Wellman about her managerial style as it relates to handling the Select Board dynamic currently and for future Select Boards. Ms. Wellman stated she is open to the style that works best for the Board and will help them succeed. She noted that she has been giving weekly updates to the Board on important matters and offered to reach out to Board Members before meetings to discuss upcoming agenda items and get their feedback. She shared that she strives for the Board to be fully informed, especially on matters of the budget, outside of meetings so they can be prepared and run efficient meetings. She also stated that she does not seek unanimous opinions on everything and knows that disagreement will happen and wants people to feel respected when opinions differ. She concluded her answer by noting that she would treat all members the same and provide them with the same access and information. Ms. Rose -Gillis asked Ms. Wellman about her methods of ensuring accountability and performance of Town Staff and how the Town can continue to retain Town Staff. Ms. Wellman noted that she manages accountability and performance by having conversations with individuals and if something is not up to her expectations, she looks to figure out why those things are happening and states what the expectations and level of performance need to be. She shared that she does goal setting with her direct staff to provide clarity and a way to monitor progress. Ms. Wellman expressed that she has an interest in helping her staff reach their goals and help them plan their future, while keeping in mind the entire organization. She stated the importance of having succession plans and she wants to assist in the continuation of growth for the future of Reading and Town Staff. Ms. Murphy asked Ms. Wellman about her plans to address funding and the needs of the Elder and Human Services department. Ms. Wellman stated that there have been discussions about how to bring down costs for the budget. She shared that in the short term, the Town is doing the fitness program through the Recreation division and there is a possibility of hiring seasonal employees to be instructors for the classes. This would bring down costs to pay them as employees and not vendors, as well as provide them with ample opportunities for teaching. Ms. Wellman noted that the 60+ community in Reading is tremendous and would be open to them leading an effort to bring programming ideas to staff and in return, they would get more programming amongst the community. Lastly, Ms. Wellman noted that staff are working on lowering food and meals costs so that could help with budget concerns as well. Mr. Haley asked Ms. Wellman to explain a time when she had to make a difficult administrative decision that impacted the community and explain the outcome. He also asked if she would do anything different if it occurred again. Ms. Wellman cited a time when she served as a School Committee member during the Great Recession and the budget was failing and they had no reserves. She stated that the Board had to redistrict schools to make the budget work which was a difficult decision that many people did not understand. Ms. Wellman noted it was not a fun decision to make but she worked diligently to empathize and explain to people that they made the best decision they could in their circumstances and noted how helpful it was to have the support of their Select Board at that time. She noted that the outcome of the situation was the kids being resilient and saving the budget. She stated that it reinforced for her the importance of having to make difficult decisions at times and engage people to help them through those decisions. Jayne read a closing statement and thanked the Board for their time and stated that she looked forward to the work ahead. She then recused herself from the remainder of the meeting. Discussion of Potential Appointment of Jayne Wellman as Town Manager Board Members expressed their thoughts that Ms. Wellman would be a perfect fit for the role of Town Manager with her vast municipal and public service experience, knowledge of Reading and its ongoings, their appreciation for her managerial style towards long-term planning, her willingness to solve issues, her comfort in being uncomfortable, and her desire to help Reading succeed. Ms. Gately Herrick agreed that Ms. Wellman is a very strong candidate for this position but still wanted the Board to consider doing a broader external search. Ms. Rose -Gillis noted that several members of the public were questioning why the Board would go outside of the historically conducted search process. She noted that much thought and consideration were given towards doing a search and she feels in this case, it would work to go outside of the typical process. Public Comment Carla Nazarro of Lawrence Road expressed support for Ms. Wellman and said she has been integral in the process of the Killam School project and expressed gratitude to Ms. Wellman for her work in Town. Karen Janowski of Azalea Circle expressed support for Ms. Wellman and supported the Board appointing her to the role without conducting an external search. Ed Ross of Kensington Avenue expressed support for Ms. Wellman and encouraged the Board to handle this appointment with care. Karen Rose -Gillis moved to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 5.0. Roll Call Vote: Karen Gately Herrick — Yes, Karen Rose -Gillis — Yes, Melissa Murphy — Yes, Carlo Bacci — Yes, Chris Haley — Yes The meeting adjourned at 8:50 PM.