TOWN OF AMHERST STAFF CONTACT AND DIRECTION POLICY

The Town of Amherst operates under a Charter adopted by the General Assembly. In the Charter,
the offices and duties are set out for the roles and responsibilities of Town Officials. According to
the Charter, the Town Manager is “the Chief Executive Officer of the town, responsible to the
Council for the management of all town affairs placed in the manager’s charge by or under this
Charter.”

The Town Manager derives their authority from the Charter and is appointed by and answerable
to the Council as a body. Direction from the Council comes as a body, rather than from individual
members, and responses and work performed should be to the Council as a whole. The Mayor
functions as the Chairman of the Council, setting agendas for meetings and presiding over same.
As such, he provides direction to the Manager for Council meetings and the setting of the agenda,
though he holds no vote at the meeting, unless there is a tie.

Understanding that from time to time, Council members (to include the Mayor), may, as
individuals, have concerns about issues in the Town or Town business that they seek to discuss
individually prior to seeking Council action, individual Council members are welcome to seek
information from the Town Manager as they see fit. However, the following general guidelines
shall apply regarding these requests:

• All communication from any Council members to staff members with requests for
information or assistance must begin with the Town Manager, rather than through any
other staff member. If the Town Manager directs staff to respond or be responsible for a
response to a Councilor, that will be conveyed to both the Councilor and the staff member.

• The Town Manager is directed to be mindful of the time commitment that is incurred by
answering individual requests from Councilors, ensuring that no more than one hour per
week is spent per Councilor for the purpose of responding to individual issues or
complaints. Time spent on committee work, preparation for agendas and meetings,
responses to mandated issues, or services to citizens do not count towards this time
consideration.

• The Town Manager should be responsive to the ethical obligations of Council, ensuring
that all Councilors are kept aware and informed of the concerns of individual Councilors,
and also conveying to the Council as a body any research or information obtained for an
individual Councilor.