Charter, planning, and conservation committees consider merits of central planning office

Should Harvard centralize its planning and development in a central office staffed by a professional planner? That was the central question asked by the town’s Charter Commission members when they met for the first time last week with two volunteer town boards.

The meeting lasted two and a half hours, during which members of the Planning Board and the Conservation Commission described their work and responded to ideas for structural changes that, in the Charter Commission’s view, might provide them with better support and lead to more efficient delivery of services.

“In a perfect world, how would you be structured? What can we do to help?” asked Charter Commission Chairman Paul Cohen. In particular, he wanted to know, did they see the value of being part of a consolidated office? He observed that a number of towns—including Chelmsford, where he serves as town manager—have chosen to house their Planning Board, Conservation Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, and ancillary functions such as Parks and Rec and building inspector in a central office. Such an office is typically staffed by a full-time planner with additional administrative support, Cohen said.

In their responses, members of both boards spoke in favor of having elected and appointed volunteer boards set policy and administer local bylaws, with or without a full-time planner.

“A home is the single greatest investment a family can make, and preservation of those property values is important,” said Planning Board Chairwoman Kara Minar. Because the Planning Board is elected, she said, it reflects the will of the people and can represent the various constituencies in town. Although there is pressure to grow the commercial district, she said, “there has to be a balance between economic growth and the preservation of land values.” Minar said that having policy in the hands of an elected board is a way to ensure that the wishes of residents are carried out.

That sentiment was echoed by Conservation Commission Chairman Paul Willard, who said his board of appointed volunteers was working “fine,” with the “right number” of members and a professional land agent to help with its mandated oversight of state wetlands rules and regulations.

Wendy Sisson of the Conservation Commission said volunteers were the heart and soul of the town. “If there is a need, volunteers will step in to do it,” she said. “But if you hire a professional to do everything, there’s no need for townspeople to get involved.” Sisson encouraged the Charter Commission to support volunteers, making sure that when professionals are hired, they share that vision of a volunteer-driven community. Harvard’s high level of citizen involvement is one reason people move here, she said.

“We love this town and we volunteer because we live here,” echoed Planning Board member Michelle Catalina. “This is our home, and it’s important that we get things right.”

Charter commissioner Ron Ostberg noted, however, that in spite of the depth of talent in town, it isn’t always possible to gather the right number of volunteers with the right expertise at the right time to deal with an important project. Moreover, he said, the tasks of town boards have become increasingly sophisticated. The issues they have had to tackle in the past 30 years, such as commercial development and Devens, have required a great deal of expertise. “There is a need for expertise that does not exist in Harvard, but that many of us feel is necessary,” he said.

“In a perfect world,” said Catalina, “we would have this amazing professional planner sitting there and all this support staff.” But the problem with hiring a permanent full-time professional, she said, is that “being such a small town, we go through different needs in different years.” In one year, the Planning Board might need help writing a master plan. “That’s a specific skill set,” she said. But this year, she continued, there’s a clamor to deal with housing. “That’s a different skill set.”

“Being a midwestern practical girl, it’s hard for me not to think about dollar signs,” Catalina continued. “By hiring part-time consultants … when we need to change gears because the town is going in a different direction, it does allow us some flexibility.”

Charter commissioner Cindy Russo suggested, however, that a central planning office would ensure a level of coordination and communication that doesn’t currently exist. Earlier, Minar had listed a number of recent projects, such as the new Bromfield parking lot, that had come together efficiently because of the availability of a part-time planner. Russo said that was an important observation. “One of the reasons … that you’re getting a better result now is that you have an employee in Town Hall.” That’s a benefit of paid professional staff, she said. “We’re all volunteers. We go to work. We have other lives. We show up for our meetings. If you have a professional in Town Hall who can interact with other offices, it just makes things work better.”

In thinking about how a part- or full-time planner should be managed, Russo said there were also real advantages to having that person supervised by a professional staff member such as the town administrator, with priorities and direction set by the relevant board or boards.

Last week’s meeting was the first in a series of get-togethers with other boards. The Charter Commission will meet next with the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Bare Hill Pond Watershed Committee, and the Library Board of Trustees Thursday, Sept. 22, and then with the Finance Committee and the Capital Planning and Investment Committee Oct. 6.

Although the Press reported last week that the commission had drafted a document that describes the structure of Harvard’s town government in the form of a charter, that document is not complete and has not been distributed. George McKenna and Rick Maiore, the members responsible for the sections on finance, reported that they were still at work. A consolidated document will not be available for at least another two weeks. Cohen said he had asked Town Hall for additional administrative support.