SOUTHAMPTON — After the recent resignations of both the town treasurer/collector and their assistant, the town must patch together temporary options to manage the position’s duties for the next 10 months.
“The treasurer/collector position is one of the most important roles in municipal government. … We need someone who is competent and accountable with extensive education in finance, which is difficult to find in a town of 6,000,” Town Administrator Scott Szczebak said.
The Select Board at its July 8 meeting discussed how to move forward, given that the town can’t elect a full-time replacement until the next annual town election in May 2026.
State law allows the board to appoint a full-time, interim treasurer, however the members noted that it will be difficult to find someone qualified for that role due to the qualifications necessary to be a treasurer. In the meantime, the town has hired a part-time person for the position.
“The main goal is to keep payroll, keep warrants, keep taxes going,” Szczebak said at the Select Board meeting. “There’s a lot that the treasurer/ collector’s office does that people don’t see on a daily basis.”
The position had been held by Jennifer Day, who resigned effective July 1 to become the treasurer for the town of Whately. Additionally, Assistant Treasurer Angela Bolduc has also resigned, effective July 15, after taking a job out of state. Bolduc has offered to work part-time to help fill hours.
“I have enjoyed working for the town of Southampton for 10 years and working with my colleagues in Town Hall,” Day wrote in a letter to the town clerk. “I wish the best for the town.”
The town has hired part-time replacement, Meghan C. Kane, as interim treasurer. Kane has eight years of experience previously working as treasurer for the city of Westfield and is familiar with financial literacy having worked as an auditor.
“We’re starting from scratch right now,” Szczebak told the Gazette. “We’re very lucky to have Meghan (Kane) who has so much experience from Westfield.”
The Southampton treasurer/collector is an elected position with a three-year term, responsible for the printing, mailing and collection of all tax bills issued by the town. Southampton is one of less than 40 municipalities across Massachusetts that elects its treasurer and collector.
In Massachusetts, the number of municipalities that appoint their treasurer and collector jumped from 248 in 2014, to 308 in 2023, according to a report from the Financial Management Resource Bureau, a branch of the Massachusetts Division of Local Services (DLS). The DLS oversees local accounting and treasury management, interprets state laws that affect local governance and provides financial management consulting to help municipalities be more efficient.
The DLS will be conducting an audit of Southampton in August to help provide different financial management consultation options for the town during this transition. Szczebak said the town may explore the possibility of making the treasurer an appointed position.
Sam Ferland can be reached at sferland@gazettenet.com
