Charter reviewers agree to list health officer separately from code enforcement

Members of the charter review group moved to separate the health officer position from the code-enforcement/building inspector listing in the draft charter.

A commissioner pointed to the town's emergency-management plan and to Title 22, which requires local health officers to have qualifications in public health by education, training or experience. That participant said listing the health officer separately allows for the same person to hold both roles where appropriate but avoids tying the two offices together in charter language.

The commission also discussed the emergency-management director role and agreed those duties and reporting lines should be aligned with the town's emergency plan; they noted the plan should be reviewed and updated as part of the charter process. Board members asked staff to prepare a redline showing the health officer as a separate charter entry and to confirm citation language for Title 22 in the draft.