Ipswich officials ask legislature to remove residency requirement for town manager second term

Officials from Ipswich asked the committee Thursday to approve a home‑rule petition, House Bill 4243, to remove a town‑charter requirement that a town manager become a resident when appointed for a second term.

Select Board Chair Charles Serpitsky told the panel the board unanimously supports the change and that Town Meeting approved the petition by a large margin — "506 in the affirmative, 135 in the negative," he said — asserting most Massachusetts towns do not require residency for municipal managers. "The residency requirement places our town at a competitive disadvantage," Serpitsky said, explaining the town's current recruitment for a permanent manager and the presence of an interim manager.

Nut graf: Supporters said removing the residency clause would broaden the applicant pool without removing local control; they noted the position already requires accountability to local elected officials and that many comparable municipal managers do not have residency requirements.

Serpitsky told the committee the requirement would force administrators to uproot families and move children between schools, a disincentive for applicants. He said the select board urges passage of the charter amendment to improve Ipswich's ability to recruit a qualified town manager.

Ending: Committee members thanked the delegation but did not ask substantive follow-ups; Ipswich officials said written materials would be submitted and requested a favorable report to let the town proceed with its recruitment process.