ROCHESTER — At the Jan. 27 Special Town Meeting, voters approved a series of changes to the structure and operations of town government, including removing the position of Town Clerk from the ballot.

Voters approved an article to transition the position of Town Clerk from an elected position to an appointed one. Voters will have to affirm the change again at the ballot box this year and if they do so, the current Town Clerk will finish the remaining time in their elected term. 

Town Administrator Cameron Durant spoke in support of the article. Durant said the position of Town Clerk is non-partisan and the role has no administrative power. Additionally, Durant said because elected officials must be residents, it is difficult to find individuals who are qualified for the position who live within the town limits. 

Voters also approved extensive changes to the bylaws governing town employees. The changes primarily involve transitioning the responsibility of hiring and firing from the personnel board to the Town Administrator. 

“[In the article] there are lots of responsibilities that shift away from this board,” said Personnel Board Chair Kristine Nash. “In my opinion as the chair, those responsibilities rightly belong with the individual who is the Town Administrator and who basically is in charge of personnel in the town.” 

The article also implemented a change to the Personnel Board itself, adding a new member and granting the employee representative voting rights. As a result, the total number of board members has increased from three to five.

Additionally, the bylaw change increased the number of sick days for town employees from 12 to 15 and the amount of educational assistance they receive from $1,000 to $2,500. It also changed the raise structure. Previously employees received a percentage raise after a predetermined amount of time, now it is a flat rate. 

Voters also approved a codification of the duties and responsibilities of the Select Board and Town Administrator. The article outlined in detail the powers of each office but did not make any additions or changes to them. 

“These are the roles that are being done currently by myself and what was done prior to me,” Durant said.