- THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN - Front Row: (left to right): Bennett F. Moore - Vice Chairman, Virginia Bridle-Russell – Chairman, Rick Griffin, Back Row: Bill Lally, James A. Workman 11
- INTERIM TOWN MANAGER’S REPORT - In my half year <strong>of</strong> service as both Interim <strong>Town</strong> Manager and <strong>Town</strong> Attorney, I have been blessed to have the support <strong>of</strong> an outstanding group <strong>of</strong> Department Heads, <strong>Town</strong> employees, elected <strong>of</strong>ficials and volunteer heads <strong>of</strong> Boards, Commissions, and Committees. Every day I am struck by how fortunate we are in <strong>Hampton</strong> to have personnel working in the <strong>Town</strong>’s behalf who have the experience and the education needed to do jobs <strong>of</strong> ever increasing complexity. “Experience Counts” is the theme <strong>of</strong> this year’s <strong>Town</strong> Report. That experience is brought to bear daily in the public’s service, so seamlessly that it may otherwise be overlooked. My goal has been to highlight that experience before the Budget Committee at its meetings this fall, and to provide examples to the public in weekly Manager’s reports <strong>of</strong> that experience in action. From ambulance runs, to construction projects, to site walks, to the processing <strong>of</strong> vehicle registrations, the skills that are drawn upon in the <strong>Town</strong>’s behalf are legion. The <strong>Town</strong> Manager’s closest aide is our Administrative Assistant Maureen Duffy, who received a Pr<strong>of</strong>essional Certificate in Multimedia Technology and a Bachelor <strong>of</strong> Management Marketing in 2001 from the University <strong>of</strong> Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada. She brings six years <strong>of</strong> administrative experience to <strong>Hampton</strong>, along with many diverse <strong>of</strong>fice skills and achievements. Maureen has been with the <strong>Town</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Hampton</strong> since October <strong>of</strong> 2005. The pages that follow in this Report are designed to fill in the details <strong>of</strong> this picture in other departments, and I urge our citizens not merely to focus on the later pages in the Report that list <strong>Town</strong> employee earnings, but instead to gain an appreciation from the reports that follow <strong>of</strong> how <strong>Hampton</strong> <strong>Town</strong> government is a true success story. Whether that story can continue on course depends a lot on whether financial tools remain available. For the 2007 budget, the Department Heads were asked by the Selectmen to present amounts that reflect what the departments need to continue to provide the level <strong>of</strong> service demanded <strong>of</strong> them by the public. The Budget Committee chose a different course: to “flat line” the budget in line with the 2006 default budget. That flat line amount would not cover the $700,000 in additional insurance costs and debt service that the <strong>Town</strong> has no choice but to cover in 2007; and the flat line amount was $1.8 million less than the Selectmen’s needs based budget. The Budget Committee’s own recommendations about hiring <strong>of</strong> new personnel for the conservation coordinator position, 4 additional firemen, and new special police <strong>of</strong>ficers obviously could not be implemented if the “flat line” budget prevailed at <strong>Town</strong> Meeting. At the Deliberative Session on February 3, 2007, by a two to one margin, the voters voted to amend operating budget Article 9 to set forth a new, compromise figure <strong>of</strong> $24,764,301 that would enable the Budget Committee’s recommendations to be implemented, along with other pressing needs in assessing, building, drainage, finance, and the <strong>Library</strong>. I hope all our voters recognize the important choices they are being asked to make for <strong>Hampton</strong>’s future, and will get out and vote on Article 9 and the rest <strong>of</strong> the ballot. This year’s Report is dedicated to James S. Barrington, who retired on August 25, 2006 after nearly 10 years <strong>of</strong> service as <strong>Hampton</strong>’s <strong>Town</strong> Manager, and who hired the majority <strong>of</strong> those who now serve as Department Heads. James navigated <strong>Hampton</strong>’s ship <strong>of</strong> state through many challenges, always with honor and with an even hand and temperament. During James’ tenure, he oversaw dramatic improvements in the <strong>Town</strong>’s infrastructure, including the construction <strong>of</strong> the new, long overdue Police Station, the twelve plus million 12
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