GILL — Annual Town Meeting will be conducted in two parts this year, with May 6 serving as the first leg, as voters consider converting the treasurer and tax collector roles to appointed positions and the discontinuance of Mount Hermon Road.

Voters will consider seven of the 18 planned warrant articles starting at 7 p.m. on the second floor of Town Hall. Monday’s meeting will handle the non-financial articles while the town finishes up its budgeting ahead of the second Town Meeting in June.

Town Administrator Ray Purington said the town is splitting the meeting into two parts due to Articles 2 and 3, which seek to change the treasurer and tax collector into appointed positions.

“As we got reading into the nitty-gritty on the elected to appointed, it became apparent that we had to have those two questions as part of the Annual Town Meeting and we had to have that Annual Town Meeting prior to the town election,” Purington explained.

To convert the two positions into appointed roles, voters must give approval at Town Meeting and then again at the ballot box on May 20 during the town election.

Purington said the town is seeking to change the positions due to the extensive requirements of these roles today. He noted the discussion around changing the positions from elected to appointed has come up previously, and with neither of the positions on the ballot this year, it’s an opportune time to make the change.

“The level of knowledge and training required, the responsibilities, the cash or money management, all of those are too important to basically put out to a popularity contest,” Purington said.

Other towns in the region have made similar changes, including with town clerk positions due to the ever-growing list of responsibilities placed on those in the role.

The other major article on the warrant is the discontinuance of Mount Hermon Road, which runs through the Northfield Mount Hermon School campus. Purington said the school initiated the article as it now owns all the property abutting the county road that used be a part of Main Road.

“Main Road got relocated but Mount Hermon Road was kept as a public way,” Purington explained. “My understanding is the school doesn’t have any plans to block off or get rid of the road.”

Other items on the warrant concern housekeeping articles regarding the use of Chapter 90 funds and the Quintus Allen Trust Fund, setting the annual revolving fund spending limits, accepting the “Prudent Investor Rule” for trust funds held by the town and increasing the annual real estate tax exemption provided to people who are legally blind.

The second leg of Town Meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 11, at 7 p.m.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.