Commission on Disability to subsume ADA transition team responsibilities after consensus to disband

The Commission on Disability voted by consensus on June 22 to recommend that the Select Board discontinue the town
DA transition team and fold its responsibilities into the commission.

Chair Brian Gallagher framed the issue as an administrative consolidation driven by the Select Board
genda: the transition teamompleted the required update to the town
DA transition plan and the Select Board is reviewing committees that no longer meet frequently. "The functions of that haven't gone away but they're subsumed by this committee," Gallagher said when describing what he planned to tell the Select Board.

Members discussed the team's history and membership: it had been assembled with representatives from multiple town groups to produce the five-year transition plan and some members said outside consultant work (Serpad) led to a rapid final product. Commissioners debated whether to keep the team active, disband it outright, or let it lie dormant and appoint a subcommittee from within the commission when it's time to prepare the next update.

Several members, including Mr. Brewer and Dick, argued a dormant approach or creating an internal subcommittee would preserve institutional knowledge while avoiding duplicate committees. "I will tell the Select Board tonight that the functions of that haven't gone away but they're subsumed by this committee," Gallagher said; the body reached consensus that the ADA transition team be discontinued and that the Commission on Disability take responsibility for monitoring and implementing action items in the transition plan. The commissioners noted they will review the 2025 transition plan, track recommended completion dates and aim to reconvene or appoint a subcommittee around 2028 to prepare the next five-year update.

The commission also asked staff to upload the transition plan to the commission's page on the town website and recommended periodic (quarterly or seasonal) check-ins to report progress on maintenance items. Members emphasized the work itself will continue; the administrative change is meant to reduce committee duplication while keeping oversight intact.