HADLEY — Seeking to maintain best practices with town finances, the Select Board will ask voters at annual Town Meeting to initiate a process that would give it the authority to appoint the town’s tax collector and treasurer.

Select Board Chairwoman Molly Keegan said the article is being put on the warrant after twice being recommended in reports from the state Department of Revenue’s Division of Local Services.

“To have key components of town government not be required to have any financial management skills is fraught with danger,” Keegan said.

If passed, the article would allow the Select Board to file an act of special legislation with the Legislature, and make appointments once the legislation is adopted.

At the Select Board meeting Wednesday, incumbent Tax Collector Susan Glowatsky, who has held the position for 12 years and is running for another three-year term at next week’s election, and Town Treasurer Linda Sanderson, elected in 2015, both indicated they would support the article.

Glowatsky said her only concern is that her accountability currently is to the taxpayers, whereas if the change occurs she would be accountable to the Select Board.

“The job is the job, it doesn’t matter if you are elected or appointed,” Glowatsky said.

Sanderson said she is of the opinion that the town shouldn’t wait until the system is broken to fix it, but rather should be proactive to always have a collector and treasurer with the necessary skills.

Keegan said having qualified people is even more important as the town’s annual budget exceeds $20 million. “We are lucky to have two skilled and competent officials, but we don’t want to leave that to luck,” Keegan said.

Town Administrator David Nixon said both Sanderson and Glowatsky are performing well above the management standards for their positions and the warrant article is not a reflection of their performance, but more a reflection that it may be hard to replace them should they relinquish their roles.

In Hatfield, where problems have plagued the town’s financial practices for several years, Town Meeting may also have the chance to make the collector and treasurer positions appointed. Voters there have considered, but rejected the concept, several times.

Hadley voters at town election in 2006 defeated a proposal on the election ballot to make the collector position appointed.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.