An employment contract proposed for the town administrator prompted one of the evening’s most emotional exchanges as council members, staff and residents debated process and timing.

Several residents and town staff urged the council to conduct a formal evaluation before finalizing the contract, citing standard practice in other municipalities and the desire to tie any merit increases to documented performance. "In business, you do not give any type of increase without an evaluation," said Lisa Sherman, a local business owner. Town employees who spoke in favor of the administrator said she had substantially improved staff morale and interagency coordination.

The proposed contract contains standard municipal‑manager provisions and a base salary figure that staff said aligns with prior administrators' pay. Council members and the town attorney discussed severance language and the timing of the first formal evaluation (the draft contract calls for an initial evaluation 180 days after the effective date). Several council members worried that signing a contract with an automatic increase and severance terms before completing an evaluation would bind the town to significant payouts.

After extended debate and public comment, council voted to table the contract vote to the next council meeting and to implement a formal evaluation process: the mayor and council will complete a competency-based rating (to be circulated in the coming days), results will be compiled by the HR director and returned to council at a February meeting, and the contract will be re-considered after that review.

The action preserved time to review contract language and ensured the evaluation process will produce standardized feedback from council.