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07/10/2023 08:55 AMOLD SAYBROOK
At a special town meeting on June 27, voters approved spending $72,500 for an operational assessment consultant to assess the workflow and staffing at Town Hall. Once hired, the consultant is expected to begin later this summer.
Based on a recommendation from the Board of Finance and the Board of Selectman to improve the operations of the town hall, the town has decided to hire CLAconnect to do an operational assessment of the town hall workflow. First Selectmen Carl Fortuna said the consultant would “most likely” start later this summer and take two months to complete the assessment.
Fortuna explained that hiring a consultant is expected to “deliver services to our residents as efficiently as possible.”
“Over the past several years, the town has made several operational changes, including bringing in new systems and redesigning town hall positions. The operational consultant will continue to enhance this effort by charting workflows between departments, assessing employee skills, job descriptions, etc., and will make recommendations for operational efficiency, workforce redesign, and succession planning,” Fortuna said.
Fortuna also cautioned that the purpose of the assessment is not done as a matter of course to save the town any money but more to analyze workflow.
“The purpose of this assessment isn’t necessarily to save money, although that may happen, but to maximize use of staff and prepare for succession needs in the future,” Fortuna emphasized.
Over the last year, some residents have noticed a bit of turnover at a town hall, with several employees leaving.
When asked if it was related to the assessment, Fortuna replied, “No, it is not. We want to ensure institutional knowledge is retained, and we want to cross-train new employees properly. The town has always looked at turnover as an opportunity to do business more efficiently.”
The money for the consultant was transferred from the nonrecurring capital fund to an off-budget fund entitled Operational Assessment Consultant.