Residents are invited to attend the second half of the Wayland Citizens Academy beginning Thursday, October 3rd at 7pm in the Wayland Town Building and continuing through October 24th. The purpose of the Academy is to give residents an opportunity to learn how town government operates and the services and functions of various town departments. Each class begins at 7pm, will be facilitated by town staff, and consist of presentations and interactive discussions.
Kicking off the Academy will be an overview of the town’s land use departments: the Planning Department, Building Department, and Conservation Department. These departments oversee much of the development that occurs in Wayland, from a small shed to a subdivision to a larger project such as Rivers Edge or a 40B.
Next up will be the Facilities Department and Human Resources/Employee Benefits on Thursday, October 10th. All those projects approved at Town Meeting? Someone has to manage the repairs and improvements to the 18 existing facilities as well new construction, renovations such as those going on at the high school, athletic fields, AND all the utilities, including electricity, gas, and telephones. At one point, Director Ben Keefe, had thirty projects on his to-do list!
October 17th will focus on the Health Department and Emergency Planning. The threat of EEE has made us aware of one activity under the jurisdiction of the Health Department. And heading into the flu season will highlight another. The department is also responsible for food safety, water quality at pools and the Town Beach, underground storage tanks, and septic systems. The Emergency Planning Department does as its name implies: plans for all four phases of emergency management, which includes preparation, mitigation, response, and recovery.
The last meeting in the series is the Finance Department on Thursday, October 24th. This will include everything from assessing the value of your property, the collecting of funds, and the accounting of the money. You know where some of the money comes from to run the town—your tax dollars. Are there other sources of revenue? Where does the money go? And what do all the financial terms you hear at Town Meeting mean—levy, overrides, enterprise funds, OPEB?
For registration, please either send email to thegarty@wayland.ma.us or use form below to sign-up.
| Date | Topic | Location |
|---|---|---|
| October 3 | Introduction & Overview, Building, Conservation, Planning, Housing | Town Building
41 Cochituate Road |
| October 10 | Facilities, HR / Employee Benefits | Town Building
41 Cochituate Road |
| October 17 | Health, Emergency Planning, Treasurer/Collector | Town Building
41 Cochituate Road |
| October 24 | Finance: Accounting, Assessing | Town Building
41 Cochituate Road |
The Citizens Academy is free and open to the public. You are welcome to join even if you did not attend the spring session.
For further questions or information, please contact: Teri Hegarty at 508-358-3621. For registration, please either send email to thegarty@wayland.ma.us or use form on this page below to sign-up. This is your opportunity to ask those questions that have always bugged you.
