What wasn't on the agenda at the TOW Board reorganization meeting

The January 9 Town Board meeting included resolutions establishing the paper of record (to those of you on the edge of your seats on that one... Poughkeepsie Journal and Southern Dutchess News), the "Confidential Personal Secretary to the Town Supervisor" (an interesting choice of terms), the Dog Control Officer, the Insurance Agent, the IT Consultant, the Bond Counsel Services, Stormwater Management Consultant Services .... What wasn't on the agenda was a resolution on reappointing the Town Attorney, the Town Engineer or the Town Planner. In 2021 - $160,000 was spent on Town Attorney fees, with $100,000 in the 2023 budget (remember the budget is just a planning number, not what will actually be spent)... In 2021 $117,000 was spent on Town Engineer.. with $150,000 budgeted in 2023... so these are significant items in the town budget. Each of those professionals has a huge impact on the future quality of life of town residents. Of course there wasn't an opportunity for resident comments or questions during the meeting ... but it would be of interest to understand how the town board chooses the individuals/firms for these services.

Why the Stormwater Management Consultant Services -- the individual who prepares a report once a year is part of the reorganization agenda... but the Attorney, Planner, Engineer who are part of nearly every town board meeting, planning board meeting and often the zoning board meetings... and render decisions/opinions that affect every resident in the town... was not part of the agenda? What is the criteria for hiring the firms? What are the performance indicators? How do we know the town is getting the quality of services it deserves? What are the expectations for their deliverables?