The Board of Selectmen shall appoint a Town Manager to serve for an indefinite term of office, and shall fix compensation within the limits of available appropriations. The Office of Town Manager shall not be subject to the Consolidated Personnel Bylaw, if any, of the Town. The Town Manager shall be appointed solely on the basis of executive and administrative qualifications. The Manager shall be a person of proven professional ability, especially fitted by education, training and previous experience in business or public administration to perform the duties of the office. The Town Manager shall devote full time to the office and shall not hold any other public office, elective or appointive, nor shall engage in any other business, occupation or profession during the term, unless such action is approved in advance, in writing, by the Board of Selectmen.
The Town Manager shall be the chief administrative officer of the Town and shall be responsible to the Board of Selectmen for the proper discharge of all duties of the office and for the proper administration of all Town affairs charged by or under the Charter. The powers and duties of the Town Manager shall include but not be limited to the following:
(a) 
Shall supervise, direct and be responsible for the efficient administration of all functions under the Manager's control, as may be authorized by the Charter, by bylaw, by other Town Meeting vote or by vote of the Board of Selectmen, including all officers appointed by the Manager and their respective departments.
(b) 
Shall appoint and supervise, and may remove, subject to the Civil Service Law and such collective bargaining agreement as may be applicable, all offices, all department heads, all multiple-member bodies, all officers, subordinates and employees for whom no other method of selection is provided by the Charter.
(c) 
Shall appoint the following positions:
•
Town Counsel
•
Board of Assessors
(d) 
Shall be entrusted with the administration of a Town personnel system, including, but not limited to, personnel policies and practices, rules and regulations, and all collective bargaining agreements entered into on behalf of the Town. Shall prepare, maintain and keep current a plan establishing the personnel staffing requirements for each Town agency, except those under the jurisdiction of the School Committee.
(e) 
Appointments made by the Town Manager shall become effective on the 15th day following the day notice of proposed appointment is filed with the Board of Selectmen, unless the Board of Selectmen shall, within said period, by a vote of at least three members of the Board, reject such appointment, or has sooner voted to affirm it.
(f) 
Shall fix the compensation of all Town officers and employees appointed by the Town Manager within the limits established by appropriations, contracts, collective bargaining agreements, and applicable compensation plans.
(g) 
Shall attend all regular and special meetings of the Board of Selectmen unless excused by personal request, and shall have a voice, but no vote, in all of its discussions.
(h) 
Shall attend all sessions of the Town Meeting and shall answer all questions concerning warrant articles which relate to matters under the Manager's general supervision.
(i) 
Shall see that all provisions of the General Laws, the Charter, the bylaws and other votes of the Town Meeting, and all votes of the Board of Selectmen, which require enforcement by the manager or officers and employees subject to the Manager's direction and supervision, are faithfully carried out, performed, executed and enforced.
(j) 
Shall prepare and submit, in the manner provided in Article 5, a proposed annual operating budget and capital outlay program.
(k) 
Shall keep the Board of Selectmen fully informed as to the financial condition and needs of the Town and shall make such recommendations to the Board of Selectmen and other Town officers concerning the financial conditions and needs of the Town as may be deemed necessary or expedient.
(l) 
Shall assure that full and complete records of the financial and administrative activities of the Town are kept and shall render reports to the Board of Selectmen at the end of each fiscal year and at such other times as it may reasonably require, to include authority to require, at such intervals and in such form as determined, supporting documentation from the Town Accountant, Town Treasurer and Principal Assessor.
(m) 
Shall have jurisdiction over the rental and use of all Town facilities, except those under the jurisdiction of the School Committee. Shall be responsible for the maintenance and repair of all Town facilities, including, if authorized by a Town Meeting vote and the School Committee, school buildings and grounds.
(n) 
May at any time inquire into the conduct of office of any Town officer, employee or agency under the Manager's general supervision.
(o) 
Shall assure that a full and complete inventory of all property of the Town, both real and personal, is kept, including all property under the jurisdiction of the School Committee.
(p) 
Shall be responsible for the negotiation of all contracts with Town employees over wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment; provided, however, that any such contract proposed may be rejected by a majority vote of the full Board of Selectmen within 15 days following the date it is submitted to such board for its review.
(q) 
Shall be the Chief Procurement Officer of the Town, responsible for the purchase of all supplies, materials, services and equipment procured in compliance with MGL c. 30B, and shall award and execute all such contracts for all departments and activities of the Town, except books and other instructional materials and supplies for school or library use, and except in case of emergency. Shall examine and inspect, or cause to be examined and inspected, the quality and condition of all supplies, materials and equipment delivered to or received by any Town agency.
(r) 
May, in the manner provided in Article 6, re-organize, consolidate or abolish Town agencies under the Manager's general supervision, provided for new Town agencies, and, when incident to any such reorganization, with the approval of the Finance Committee, transfer all or a portion of the appropriation made for one Town agency to another.
(s) 
May authorize any subordinate officer or employee to exercise any power or function which he is authorized to exercise; provided, however, that all acts performed under any such delegation shall be deemed to be his acts.
(t) 
The Board of Selectmen may authorize the Town Manager to sign warrants prepared by the Town Accountant in accordance with the provisions of MGL c. 41, § 56 for the payment of Town funds, and approval of any such warrant by the Town Manager shall be sufficient authority to authorize payment by the Treasurer; provided, however, in the event of a temporary or permanent vacancy in the office of Town Manager, the Board of Selectmen shall have sole authority to approve such warrants for payment.
(u) 
Shall perform such other duties as may be required of the Manager by the Charter, by bylaw, by Town Meeting vote or by vote of the Board of Selectmen.
(a) 
Temporary absence. The Town Manager shall, subject to the approval of the Board of Selectmen, and by letter filed with the Board of Selectmen and the Town Clerk, designate a qualified Town officer or employee to exercise the powers and perform the duties of the Town Manager during a temporary absence. During the temporary absence of the Town Manager, the Board of Selectmen may not revoke such designation until at least 10 working days have elapsed. Following the expiration of the said 10 working days, or if the person so designated is for any reason unable to serve, the Board of Selectmen may designate some other qualified person to serve as Acting Town Manager until the Town Manager shall return.
(b) 
Vacancy. Any vacancy in the office of Town Manager shall be filled as soon as possible by the Board of Selectmen, but pending such full-time appointments they shall designate some other qualified person to perform the duties of the Town Manager on a temporary basis. Such temporary appointment shall not exceed three months; provided, however, that the Board of Selectmen may renew such temporary appointment, as needed, or appoint some other qualified person to serve, in three-month increments. Further, if the person appointed to serve as the Town Manager under this section is a Town employee, such temporary service shall be deemed to be part of that employee's original position.
The Board of Selectmen may, by majority vote of the full board, terminate and remove or suspend the Town Manager from office in accordance with the following procedure: Before the Town Manager may be removed, if so demanded, the Town Manager shall be given a written statement of the reasons alleged for removal and shall have a right to be heard publicly thereon at a meeting of the Board of Selectmen prior to a final vote on removal, but pending and during such hearing the Board of Selectmen may suspend the Manager from office. The action of the Board of Selectmen in suspending or removing the Town Manager from office shall be final, it being the intention of this provision to vest all authority and to fix all responsibility for such suspension or removal solely in the Board of Selectmen. The Town Manager shall continue to receive the salary until the effective date of a final vote of removal.