Archambault Requests More Detail in Contracts

Seekonk Select Board member Rob Archambault would like to institute a new policy regarding contracts.

“I’m not satisfied with the way municipal contracts are being handled by the board,” Archambault said at the September 16 meeting.

Archambault met with Town Administrator Shawn Cadime and the town’s legal counsel and determined past boards were voting on contracts “without all the information,” and with no appendices or attachments.

“The boards have been comfortable with the fact that we have building committees going through that process (of reviewing vital information),” Cadime noted.

“I just find that completely irresponsible,” Archambault continued. “I think it’s laziness on behalf of the board. No one on a board should be voting on a contract without all the information. We should know what we are voting on.”

“Previous boards didn’t just ‘rubber-stamp’ contracts,” member Michael Healy said. “We have a person called the Town Administrator that oversees all of these (contracts). I don’t think we need a policy to get every document.”

Archambault drafted a policy which would require the board to receive a “master contract, appendices, attachments, fee schedules, a minimum of seven days prior to voting.”

Once the contract has been reviewed by all members, Archambault noted the board can ask questions of the Town Administrator and legal counsel before taking a vote.

“I can’t in good conscience, be voting on things when things are missing,” Archambault added.

Archambault’s policy won the support of member Elizabeth Elmasian.

“We all have different expectations and there’s a learning curve, so this was perfect,” Elmasian said.