ATHOL — Treasurer/Collector Patrick McIntyre will vacate his post at Town Hall on July 2 to assume a comparable role in Acton, according to Town Manager Shaun Suhoski
“He has really done a good job in that office,” Suhoski said. “We had some turnover due to retirement and other reasons in the years preceding his arrival, so it was good to have stability in that office.”
Suhoski praised McIntyre for improving Athol’s returns by investing municipal funds for higher interest, reducing outstanding real estate taxes through more diligent tax-title work, and partnering with Town Accountant Amy Crave to streamline online bill-paying for residents, The Athol Daily News reported.
McIntyre, who began in Athol at the start of the pandemic, noted one of his chief accomplishments: “When I came here at the beginning of February 2020, we had about $900,000 (in tax titles). Over the years, we’ve added to that balance through takings, but as I finish my term here, as of June 30, we have $300,000 less than when I started. But some of those (property owners) are in payment plans and hopefully they’ll keep it going and continue to bring that balance down.”
McIntyre said he was also proud of how he invested Athol’s COVID-era American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, which enabled the town to expand its fuel assistance program beyond the original scope.
“We were able to run that for two full winters, and we really helped a lot of people with that,” McIntyre said. “A lot of the ARPA funds weren’t being expended right away, so they would have been sitting there idle. Instead, I worked with the bank and put those funds into secured certificates of deposit. So, over the course of the program, we earned $300,000 in interest, and we were able to take some of that interest and extend the fuel assistance for another partial winter.”
Suhoski said McIntyre’s departure didn’t come as a surprise, noting that Acton — with a population exceeding 24,000, is about twice the size of Athol, and has a $40 million municipal budget, it’s also closer to McIntyre’s hometown of Clinton.
McIntyre will serve as interim treasurer/collector during the recruitment process for his successor and assist with the fiscal year transition.
