COLRAIN — With Town Administrator Kevin Fox’s retirement less than a year away, the town is gearing up to find his replacement.

“It is the most vital position in town,” said Selectboard member Thom Griffin. “It is important we find someone well qualified.”

The Selectboard recently established an ad hoc committee and appointed five members to start the process: Griffin, Ellen Weeks, Michael Shuipis, Howard Phelps and Lynn DiTullio. They have not yet met, but multiple members have indicated their first step will be writing the town administrator job description.

“We want to get the ball rolling now,” Weeks said.

Fox has worked for the town for 12 years and the end of June 2024 will mark his retirement. Weeks hopes the person taking over the role will have time to train under Fox before he leaves.

The ad hoc committee will decide whether to beef up the position through its job description or take duties away before searching for someone to step into the role. The committee may want to look into changing the town administrator position to a town manager title, according to Shuipis, if members decide to include more responsibilities.

Members of the ad hoc committee explained Fox brings in millions of dollars to the town in the form of grants, and will consider whether the new hire needs to have experience applying for grants.

“The challenge is to look for candidates that fulfill all of our requirements,” Shuipis said. “It is almost like four jobs.”

Shuipis said Fox has experience as a certified public accountant specializing in municipal auditing, so it will be difficult to find comparable candidates with such specialized skills, especially when it comes to the financial side of the position. Weeks added the ideal hire will “need a fair amount of financial expertise to work on the budget.”

Griffin said it will be difficult to find a candidate with the appropriate experience who will also be a good fit for the town. He noted the ideal candidate should know about how small towns function. Fox lives in the neighboring community of Buckland.

“I am not sure someone coming out of college with a public administration degree will just flip into the position,” Griffin said.

Weeks said the ad hoc committee may be interested in looking for someone with administrative experience in the private sector if a candidate from the public sector does not easily emerge.

Fox will give the committee input about designing the position based on his experience in the job. Weeks hopes to finish the new job description by winter and then transition into searching for a candidate.

Committee members indicated they will look at the job market and their own needs to decide if they would like to raise the salary for the position to attract a competitive candidate. All decisions made by the committee will come in the form of recommendations, with the Selectboard making the final decisions.

“It will be difficult to replace him,” Shuipis said of Fox. “I’m glad we are able to start early.”

Reach Bella Levavi at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.