Town Meeting Approves Centralizing Maintenance of Town Buildings

Wellesley’s school and town buildings will be repaired by way of one department beginning this year.

Town Meeting voted last night to approve a maintenance structure, which will empower

The article, presented by Tom Goematt, chair of the ad hoc facilities maintenance committee, passed after some discussion among Town Meeting Members. Though ultimately, the article, requiring a majority vote, received overwhelming support from Town Meeting.

The new department would involve a director of facilities who would report to Hans Larsen, executive director of general government, a financial analyst and four managers with several custodial employees reporting to one. In all, 63 full time employees, according to the presentation, would staff the department. This new department would be responsible for preventative building maintenance – short and long term, repairs and planning over time.

Currently, the town is responsible for town buildings and the school administration is responsible for delegating maintenance of school properties.

Pending the required passage of a provision of Article No. 8, the omnibus budget article, the new town building maintenance structure would be implemented July 1.

The new maintenance structure excludes Department of Public Works buildings, which will be included July 1, 2013, and Municipal Light Plant buildings.

Other town meeting notes:

Six articles were voted on at last night’s opening session of Annual Town Meeting 2012, all approved.

Larsen presented the Town Wide Financial Plan, a five-year look at Wellesley’s budgeting process, to Town Meeting at the beginning of last night’s session as part of Article No. 1. The article, which acknowledged that the moderator would receive reports from various town boards to inform the Town Wide Financial Plan, passed.

The meeting ended just after 11 p.m. at the conclusion of Article No. 6, the facilities maintenance article.

Town Meeting will resume tonight at 7:30 at the Middle School.