NORWAY — Town Manager David Holt, one of many town employees facing retirement within the next few years, thinks that reviewing alternative forms of town government may be beneficial for Norway moving forward.

The town of Norway currently operates under the town meeting-board of selectmen-manager form of government, where public business is voted on by residents once a year at an annual town meeting and periodic special town meetings, when necessary.

Holt said that this method “provides the opportunity for debate and participation,” but can result in “higher spending” if turnout is low at the annual town meeting.

Holt said that the town manager form of government is “very common” for Maine towns with populations of 5,000 or less.

A similar type of town government is the referendum-town meeting-board of selectmen-manager form.

The difference between the annual town meeting form of government and the referendum form is that decisions are made by an annual ballot, rather than a show of hands.

Holt said that a referendum town meeting form of government “provides for more people making decisions but can lack debate, communication and discussion.”

The Maine Municipal Association stated on its website that the town meeting-selectmen-manager form of government is the second most common form of local government in Maine, with 135 municipalities utilizing it, including Norway.

The most common form of local government in Maine is the town meeting-selectmen form of government, (without a manager) utilized by 209 municipalities in Maine.

Holt pointed out that town managers can be “expensive for small towns,” adding that the wages and benefits for the position “approximates $100,000 per year.”

“The question becomes (whether) the town will continue to afford a manager, and whether there are alternatives that the board wishes to explore,” he said.

Other forms

There is also the council-manager form of government, where five to seven town councilors are given the authority of the town meeting.

“The benefits (of this form of government) are that decisions can be made routinely 12 to 24 times per month, and that special interests are less likely to control spending,” Holt said. “However, this form depends the most on quality council members.”

The MMA said that in this form of government, the council is the “elected body of government and serves both the legislative and executive functions.” They also wrote that 37 municipalities in Maine use this form.

Holt said that he has worked within “all of these systems,” and that “the best system is the one that is legitimate to the citizens.”

The Maine Municipal Association website highlights one such hybrid – the council-town meeting-manager form of government, where “the legislative functions of government are shared between the town meeting and an elected council.”

The MMA also highlights the mayor-council-administrator form of government, where a mayor is elected by residents separately from the town council and is granted with “broad powers of appointment, administration and legislation.”

In this form of government, the town council is elected by the people and is granted legislative and executive authority.

mdaigle@sunmediagroup.net