Select Board Shifts $50,000 to Highway Pay
Erving's Select Board voted to shift $50,000 from public safety benefits into Highway Department salaries to help fill a vacant foreman post.
Select Board · Meeting of April 27, 2026
Erving's Select Board voted to shift $50,000 from public safety benefits into Highway Department salaries to help fill a vacant foreman post. The 2-1 vote, with Selectman William Bembury opposed, came during a joint meeting with the Finance Committee that also weighed a Board of Health request to expand its part-time health agent position from 27 to 40 hours a week. Board of Health Chairman Jeffrey McAndrews said "the liability is there whether we're aware of it or not" under new state SAPHE 2.0 standards.
Fire Chief Philip Wonkka proposed per-diem firefighters instead of refilling a full-time vacancy after two job offers fell through. The board separately promoted Equipment Operator Cody Pease to Highway Foreman at $32.92 an hour and approved a $980,781.24 accounts payable warrant. The floor amendment heads to the May 13 Annual Town Meeting.
In the full story:
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Source: the Select Board meeting of April 27, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.
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