Hollis Select Board Transparency Archive

Good afternoon,

I'll beat the dead horse: While I understand there is no provision in the Freedom of Access Act that restricts a town from directing such inquiries through a formal process, public documents and contracts of this nature should not have to be obtained through a formal FOAA request.

As a municipal servant myself, I recognize that our work is often difficult, thankless and we are often on the receiving end of frustrated taxpayers and residents. However, requiring formal hurdles for standard public information and "safeguarding" documents that by law must be made public, can worsen that friction. Based on recent town meetings and some of my correspondence with various employees, it appears that this approach is contributing to the already existing tension, frustration and distrust within the community amongst other matters.

I initially appreciated your reply on August 7th to forward these documents once received from the Select Board. Reverting to a formal FOAA requirement at this stage feels like a step backward in providing efficient taxpayer service. I hope you will reconsider and provide the documents directly to help maintain transparency and build trust with the community, even if it's one member at a time.

Thank you,

Lynn

On Tue, Aug 11, 2026 at 9:59 AM <[email protected]> wrote:

Good morning – The loss was temporary and took time to recover. Emails were delivered. With regard to your requests for contract info etc. I suggest you file a FOAA request through our Town Clerk. That will formalize the request and it will provide any coverage needed on the legal side. Thanks, Dick Richard Morin Town Manager Town of Hollis, Maine *From:* Lynn Greenlaw <[email protected]> *Sent:* Monday, August 10, 2026 11:21 AM *To:* [email protected] *Subject:* Re: Request for contracts with O'Donnells Good morning, Thank you for the reply. Out of curiosity, does the Town of Hollis host their own email and servers? Was there not at least one backup for data loss events such as this? Best, Lynn On Fri, Aug 7, 2026 at 3:00 PM <[email protected]> wrote: Good afternoon – When I receive them from the Select Board, I will forward them along. Keep in mind I arrived July 1, 2025 and most of the issues regarding assessment occurred well before my arrival. Reviewing your prior email, it is important to note that during much of the July timeframe you noted sadly is also the time we suffered major server issues and many / most emails were lost. That is not meant to be an excuse more than an explanation for any delays. Stay tuned – more to follow. Regards, Dick Richard Morin Town Manager Town of Hollis, Maine *From:* Lynn Greenlaw <[email protected]> *Sent:* Friday, August 7, 2026 2:34 PM *To:* [email protected] *Subject:* Request for contracts with O'Donnells Good afternoon, Could I please have a pdf copy of the contract with O'Donnells as the town's assessing agent and the separate contract for the upcoming revaluation? Thank you, Lynn