Erving Voters Reject Elected Officials' Pay Raise for Second Time

ERVING -- January 31, 2024, Erving special town meeting rejects elected officials' pay raise for the second time in months. Voters at the January 31 special town meeting defeated Article 4, which would have added $14,863.40 to the fiscal year 2024 elected officials' compensation pool, bringing total salaries to $177,178.19 for the town clerk, tax collector, and treasurer. The article required a two-thirds vote but received only 45 yes votes against 24 no votes, 65 percent, just below the 66 percent threshold. Town officials argued the raise was identical to adjustments already applied to all other non-bargaining unit employees under a wage study, while residents including Ed Ross of Little B A Nor Street challenged the scale of the treasurer's proposed increase from roughly $63,000 to nearly $73,000. In the same session voters unanimously approved a five-year school transportation contract with FM Transportation and backed a $75,000 purchase of modular office space for displaced Department of Public Works staff.