Should Town Offer Incentives To Recruit Volunteers? Select Board Looks At Stipends, Health Insurance As Possibilities

CHATHAM – Encouraging residents to volunteer to serve on town committees has long been a goal of the select board. With nearly 50 regulatory and advisory boards, commissions and committees, keeping all of the seats filled can be a daunting task.

 Should the town officer incentives, including financial, to entice more people to serve?

 The topic was raised at the board’s Jan. 6 discussion of its goals and objectives for the coming year. Board member Stuart Smith posited the idea as a way to spark civic engagement, especially among younger residents.

 Smith said he wanted to explore ways to encourage engagement in civic, business and community life by people across all demographics.

 “I wanted it to be very broad,” he said.

 Especially with young people, it can be difficult to find the time to serve on a board or volunteer in a community group because the high cost of living here often requires working two or more jobs, he said.

 “If we want to encourage them, we’re going to have to provide some sort of financial incentive for them to participate,” Smith said. Many of those who volunteer for the town are retired or have the means and time to devote to a non-paid position; others don’t have that luxury. “They may want to serve but they can’t afford to,” he said of others. “And that certainly shouldn’t be the case.”

 Currently, only a few town boards receive annual stipends. The moderator receives $1,200, and select board members earn $4,000, with an extra $1,000 for the chair. Members of the board of assessors, airport commission and cemetery commission also receive small stipends.

 Those stipends were never a factor in his decision to serve, board member Cory Metters said. He doubted there was a “golden ticket” that the town could provide that would encourage significantly more participation, although he added that it would be beneficial to recruit more people “of any age.”

 The town last year began a “municipal academy” to help educate residents on the workings of town government, which could help improve volunteer recruitment, said board member Shareen Davis. Other “creative incentives” could include offering volunteers the opportunity to sign on to the town’s health insurance, board members said.

 “That could be an incentive,” Smith said. “Let’s face it, health costs are just ridiculous.”

 Meeting times can also be a problem for many working people, Metters noted, especially if a board or commission meets during the afternoon. Smith said he’s heard from some people that the ability to participate virtually has been a factor in whether to volunteer.

 Stipends can’t account for the time most volunteers spend on town committees, said Chair Dean Nicastro. It’s more of an “honorific,” to recognize a person’s commitment, he said. The select board’s stipend was doubled a number of years back, and “it’s probably worth looking at it again,” he said.

 Also at the urging of Smith, the board discussed its approach to oversight of committees. He questioned whether the board needs to show more leadership and provide more guidance to volunteer groups.

 “Leadership is not making an appointment and saluting and saying we’ll see you when you get your reappointment in three years,” he said. He suggested the town’s committee handbook, which is currently being revised, could provide more specific guidance. That could also put more onus on select board liaisons to committees to provide more oversight.

 Nicastro said his approach has always been to find the best candidates and monitor committees, but “let them alone. Let them do their job,” especially regarding regulatory groups which often have statutory authority outside of the select board’s purview. “It’s a balancing act,” he said.

 Smith said he has no interest in micromanaging committees, but more oversight might be helpful. He cited the ongoing disputes between the airport commission and residents, saying that had the board worked more closely with the commission, some of the disputes could have been avoided.

 “It should never have gotten to this point,” Smith said.

 With several changes suggested by Smith, the board voted to approve its goals and objectives for 2026.