Letter to the Editor: Wenham Finance Department Needs a Long-Term Solution

To the Editor:

Last week, Selectmen (Kenneth) Whittaker and FinCom Chairman (Michael) Lucy

Perhaps I am not objective since mine was one of nearly 40 households to receive an incorrect property tax bill this past Monday. The inaccurate bill showed unpaid taxes, a late fee and interest charges. Rather surprising, since it was paid in December.

The two letters sent by the town explain an error was made in posting our payment. Anyone can make an error, but good financial management catches these errors. With our part-time staff, the basic financial services are suffering.

At the Selectmen’s meeting last week, , unpaid bills and unreconciled accounts. When I went to the Finance Department to work-out the tax bill issue, I saw the town administrator sitting at the table opening stacks of envelopes. Perhaps these were the stacks of mail discussed the night before.

The “new and innovate approach” proposed in the letter continues the current outsourcing of the Finance Director role to the only contractor to return a bid for these services. The Town Administrator claim we would not be able to attract capable individuals for this position. Yet, the position of full-time Finance Director has not been posted since Sarah Johnson left three years ago. Even then, the salary was listed as below market rates.

Our most recent Finance Director responded to a posting for an Interim Finance Director. Most qualified individuals do not leave a stable job for a temporary job.

I am not against new ways of doing things. Four years ago, I stood before a Town Meeting to make a motion to study shared police services with Hamilton as a possible cost saving measure.

In this case, the facts show that Wenham’s Finance Department needs a long-term solution not currently provided by short term contract arrangements to put the department back in a position to provide their usual level of excellent services

Michelle Bailey

Remington Road, Wenham