Town Leadership
The Holland Town Administrator’s Office
The Town Administrator
Stacy Stout
When a road goes unplowed or a plan for a new business lands at Town Hall, the person with the most operational control over the response is appointed, not elected. Stacy Stout is the Town Administrator, hired by the three elected members of the Select Board to run the town day to day, and they can let the administrator go if they lose faith in the work. This is the chief administrative officer: the office appoints and supervises most department heads, shapes and presents the annual budget, and carries the town’s biggest spending requests to Town Meeting for the final vote, serving under a contract with the Select Board rather than by election. Because Holland hands the daily machinery to an appointed administrator, the plan to fix a problem usually crosses this desk first, then goes to the board and to Town Meeting.
| Role | Town Administrator (chief administrative officer) |
|---|---|
| Selection | Appointed by the Select Board under contract, not elected |
| Office | Town Hall, 27 Sturbridge Road, Holland, MA 01521 |
| Phone | (413) 245-7108 ext. 101 |
| Website | town.holland.ma.us |
What the Town Administrator Does
- Runs the departments. Police, fire, highway, health, and the rest answer to the Town Administrator, who appoints most of their leaders.
- Builds the budget. Each year the Administrator proposes how the town will spend its money, then defends that plan before the Select Board and Town Meeting, which holds the final vote.
- Answers to the board. The Administrator serves at the pleasure of the elected Select Board and carries out the policies it sets.
- Reports to Town Meeting. Major spending and bylaws still need the vote of Town Meeting, and in Holland that means every registered voter who walks in.
The Administration
- Department heads are appointed by the Town Administrator and carry out policy, from plowing snow to inspecting a new septic system.
- The Select Board is the check: it hires and can dismiss the Administrator, sets policy, and signs the warrants that put questions before Town Meeting.
- Boards and commissions, many of them appointed by the Select Board, decide questions like zoning, conservation, and licensing.
Contact & Engage
- Town Hall: 27 Sturbridge Road, Holland, MA 01521.
- Town Administrator’s Office: (413) 245-7108 ext. 101.
- Report a problem: potholes, downed limbs, and plowing go to the Highway Department, (413) 245-3276.
- Show up: the Select Board meets on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays at 6:00 PM in the Community Room at Town Hall, and the public is welcome.
Want to weigh in on a town decision? Learn how to contact your officials so they actually hear you.