Town Leadership
The Millville Town Administrator’s Office
The Town Administrator
Peter D. Caruso
When a road goes unplowed or a bill needs paying, the person with the most operational control over the town’s response is appointed, not elected. Peter D. Caruso is Millville’s Town Administrator, hired by the five elected members of the Board of Selectmen to run the town day to day, and they can let him go if they lose faith in him. The town charter makes him the Chief Administrative Officer and the Chief Procurement Officer: he is responsible for the daily operation of the town, for the employees and activities under the control of the Board of Selectmen, and for carrying out the goals and policies the board sets. He shapes and presents the annual budget, oversees the departments, and carries the town’s biggest spending requests to Town Meeting for the final vote. Because Millville hands the daily machinery to an appointed administrator, the plan to fix a problem usually crosses his desk first, then goes to the board and to Town Meeting.
| Role | Town Administrator (Chief Administrative and Procurement Officer) |
|---|---|
| Selection | Appointed by the Board of Selectmen under contract, not elected |
| Office | Town Hall, 8 Central Street, Millville, MA 01529 |
| Phone | (508) 883-1186 |
| Website | millvillema.org |
What the Town Administrator Does
- Runs the departments. Police, fire, highway, health, the library, and the rest answer up through the Town Administrator, who is responsible for the daily operation of the town.
- Builds the budget. Each year the Town Administrator helps shape how the town will spend its money for the town and the schools, then that plan is weighed by the Finance Committee and voted at Town Meeting, which holds the final say.
- Answers to the board. The Town Administrator serves at the pleasure of the elected Board of Selectmen and carries out the policies it sets.
- Reports to Town Meeting. Major spending and bylaws still need the vote of Town Meeting, and in Millville that means every registered voter who walks in.
The Administration
- Department heads carry out policy, from plowing snow on the Highway Department’s roads to inspecting buildings.
- The Board of Selectmen is the check: it hires and can dismiss the Town Administrator, sets policy, and signs the warrants that put questions before Town Meeting.
- Boards and commissions, many of them appointed by the Board of Selectmen, decide questions like zoning, conservation, and licensing.
Contact & Engage
- Town Hall: 8 Central Street, Millville, MA 01529.
- Town Administrator’s Office: (508) 883-1186.
- Report a problem: potholes and road issues go to the Highway Department, (508) 498-9303.
- Show up: the Board of Selectmen meets on the first and third Monday at 7:00 pm 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.