Select Board Leans Toward Town Manager Consultant
Ashland's Select Board leaned toward hiring a search consultant, estimated at $16,000 to $17,000, to help find the town's next permanent town manager.
Select Board · Meeting of September 2, 2026
Ashland's Select Board leaned toward hiring a search consultant, estimated at $16,000 to $17,000, to help find the town's next permanent town manager. Board member Claudia said she reversed course after Interim Town Manager Katherine Bird reported that every peer community contacted by HR Director Katie Cole used a consultant for similar searches. Residents Diane Ring, Joan Canfradi and Tonya Yaskovich backed the consultant route, though Yaskovich called the board's informal four-month timeline "incredibly aggressive." Separately, Ashland Police Chief Rossi told the board his department is prioritizing e-bike education over enforcement after two Framingham teens fled officers and broke into an occupied condo, and MWRTA presented a bus-network redesign launching September 8.
The board also heard a 131-page Collins Center staffing study recommending new facilities, finance and public-safety positions, and approved $243.59 and up to $1,100 in Telechron Clock Project funds for land stewardship and a Warren Barn rock engraving.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 3,084 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of September 2, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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