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.