Q&A with Julie Jacobson, Auburn Town Manager
Julie Jacobson spent nearly 25 years working inside Worcester city government, most recently serving as assistant city manager. But on Jan. 31, she jumped to neighboring Auburn — a community of 16,000 residents — where she took on the role of the town’s first-ever full-time town manager. Auburn residents approved a charter change that established the town manager position. Now, as the administrative head of Auburn, she’s rapidly getting up to speed. Here, she discusses her top priorities as well as her take on the community’s split tax rate between residents and businesses.
>> What was it about this position that prompted you to leave your position as assistant city manager in Worcester?
It was a really difficult decision. I worked for the city of Worcester for 24 years in various capacities, most recently as assistant city manager. It was a really interesting and exciting position and it provided me with a skill set and experience that I’m able to now bring to the town of Auburn. What attracted me to the town of Auburn was primarily the fact that the town had a charter change. I was able to come into a form of government that was brand new and really start from scratch and develop and implement the changes that the charter dictates. It is an incredible opportunity as well as a tremendous challenge.
>> A lot of people would look at the challenge of a brand-new position and structure within town government as too daunting. How do you approach it?
What’s exciting to me is to have a challenge. I think that’s why I loved my jobs with the city of Worcester and why I stayed for 24 years. You come in with a plan that you think you’re going to execute, but by the end of the day, you haven’t even addressed that issue and you’ve done something else. I looked at this position as a tremendous gateway into bringing Auburn to a new level. Certainly I recognize that within that challenge there are a lot of hurdles to overcome, but I don’t think there’s anything that can’t be done if you build a team.
>> Is there one project or one initiative that you’re particularly excited about?
The No. 1 thing that needs to be done is the reorganization of town government. That means a complete reorganization plan, taking what we now have — which is 25 different departments and functions — and streamlining them into an integrated, functional organization through which we can then conduct the daily business of government. We’ve got to get that plan in place.
>> How do you plan on engaging the business community?
I want to work more closely with the chamber of commerce and keep the lines of communication open with the business community. I will be appointing a business roundtable that will consist of a cross-section of representatives from our business community and meet with them on a quarterly or semi-annual basis. I want to hear what their concerns are.
>> One of the things I’ve heard from businesses in Auburn is that they’re not happy about the tax structure. Have you already been hearing that as well?
A dual or split tax rate is always a concern of the business community. It was in Worcester and it is no different here. The board of selectmen over the last two years has taken steps toward reducing that differential between the commercial/industrial rate and the residential rate. It’s always a hot topic, because the residents obviously are looking for the lowest tax rate and the businesses are likewise looking for the lowest rate that they can have. Recognizing that there is a dual tax rate, it’s incumbent on the town manager to reach out to the business community to see if we can facilitate business growth or expansion.
Shop Talk Web Only
>> What are Auburn's expectations with this charter change?
I think the driving force is to have municipal government in Auburn that is responsive to the taxpayers, provides quality services and does so as efficiently and effectively as possible. And I think those are the keys to any successful municipal organization.
>> What's the budget outlook?
I think it's very strong. The town of Auburn in the last few years has taken a very committed and strategic approach to fiscal management and fiscal responsibility. The town has weathered the economic crisis, I think, better than many communities. Yes, we have had to make some reductions for the budget this year, but we've been fortunate that we could take those reductions without layoffs of exiting personnel. That reduction this year will result in the elimination of a couple of positions that are currently vacant.
>> Are there any lessons from your former boss, Worcester City Manager Michael O'Brien, that you take into your new position?
Michael O'Brien was a tremendous role model for me and I take a lot of what I learned from him into this new position. Some of those things are a commitment to fiscal responsibility and a commitment to identifying cost savings while persevering core services. He was also a visionary who was realistic. He knows where he wants to bring the city and he has a plan on how to get there and that's really critical. You can have a vision, but if you don't put a system into place on how you're going to get there, you're never going to achieve it.
>> What do you wish people knew or understood about municipal government?
I think that we as government officials don't do a good enough job of letting the public know what our jobs are. I think that's part of the problem. I think the public doesn't understand how municipal government functions, what the state and federal regulations and laws are that dictate how we function and how we try to balance on a daily basis operations and administration with achieving broader community. Also, I wish people understood how hard public employees work.
View a video clip to find out what Julie Jacobson thinks are Auburn's key strengths:
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments