Executive Board & Policy & Personnel Committee Meeting Minutes- 8/25/26- Draft

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Windham Solid Waste Management District (WSWMD)

Executive Board/Policy & Personnel Special Meeting

Via Zoom and In Person

Draft Minutes of August 25, 2026

 

Members Present: Michelle Cherrier, Chair- Dummerston; Dave Eastman, Vice Chair- Guilford; Dan Toomey, Putney; Westminster; Merrill Mundell, Wilmington

Other Guests: Policy & Procedure Committee Members: Stanley Noga, Jr.-Brookline; Liz Spector, Wardsboro

WSWMD Staff: Bob Spencer, Executive Director; Anita Grant, Office Manager & Operations Liaison/District Clerk

Michelle called the meeting to order at 2:03 PM

Changes and/or Additions to the Agenda:

There was no formal agenda prepared before the meeting because Michelle was unavailable and did not have access to her computer, so agenda topics were discussed at this point. Bob asked Michelle to  be included in the meeting, and Michelle invited him to share his perspective on the transition. Merrill provided Bob with a binder of resumes to review, and the meeting continued.

Approve Executive Board Meeting Minutes- 8/19/26:

  • Anita reported that the date and time were both reported incorrectly on the warning for this meeting and would amend the minutes.
  • Dave asked if the procedure for setting up the primary resume research methods should stay as written, since he and Stan had a different idea of how it was supposed to proceed. Since Anita had already created the spreadsheet, and that was noted in the minutes, it was agreed that it could stay as written.

Dave made the motion to approve the amended minutes from the 8/19/26 Executive Board meeting, Merrill seconded and the motion passed unanimously.

  1. Voting on the Current Resumes: Dave felt that it was premature to discuss the resumes since they had not yet been reviewed by the entire pool of representatives. Michelle agreed that the spreadsheet voting could be discussed at the next meeting.

 

  1. Discussion with Current ED on Reviewing Resumes: As some members’ experience varies, questions were raised about what to look for and how to interpret certain qualifications. Bob said that solid waste experience was not vital when considering a candidate, as they may have other skills that would be a good fit for the job. He also noted that the current staff has a great skill set that a new employee could learn from. Bob shared his experience with hiring employees for the District and noted that personality is often an important factor in the final selection. Anita added that this is better assessed during interviews rather than through resumes alone, and that there could be more than one interview to make a selection.

 

  1. Other Discussion Regarding Resumes:
  • Merrill asked not to comment on certain resumes, however, both Michelle and Stan indicated that his input would be valuable.
  • The issue of relocation costs was discussed, as the District operates on a very strict budget and it may not be feasible to offer relocation assistance to a candidate.
  • Start dates and other information not available on the resumes would need to be verified.
  • The current staff would be asked to provide input once the list was reduced to a smaller list of viable candidates.
  • Background checks would be a requirement for the new ED.
  • Dave explained that the spreadsheet voting was not the final vote; it would be used as a tool to reduce the candidate pool.
  • The 90-day probationary period was discussed for the new ED. Dan would review the Personnel Manual to ensure that this was the proper procedure. Merrill suggested that it should be put in place if it is not already, and Anita will add it to the next BOS agenda if applicable.

 

  1. Transition for the new Executive Director:
  • Bob agreed to stay on for a period of two to three weeks, part-time, to get the new ED acclimated. He indicated that he would not be interested in working part-time for a longer period.
  • He also noted that the current staff has a great skill set that would benefit the new ED.
  • Bob was asked about any verbal contracts or agreements that may be in the works. Bob indicated there were none and agreed to provide a list of current contracts for the new ED.

 

Executive Session: N/A

Actions to be Taken:

  • Michelle also asked Bob to document procedures for the operations of the compost facility software, the composting procedures, and any other procedures not documented at this time for cross-training purposes.
  • Dave recommended that Vicki be invited to subsequent meetings to bring an HR perspective.
  • Anita will provide all members a copy of the current Policy & Personnel Manual.
  • Dan would like to have Anita and Vicki prepare their current “working” job descriptions for the next meeting.
  • Bob offered to review the final group of resumes, rather than offer opinions on all of them.
  • Anita needs to provide the canned responses for Michelle and offered to help write the rejection letters.
  • Anita will provide Liz the resumes and add her to the spreadsheet for voting.
  • Voting should be completed by all the search committee members before the next meeting.

 

Next Meeting: Thursday, September 3, 2026 @ 1:30 PM

 

Adjournment: Merrill motioned to adjourn, Dave seconded, and the meeting was adjourned at 3:46 PM

Minutes prepared by:

 

Anita Grant, District Clerk