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Select Board reviews warrant; code-enforcement, fire equipment and deputy contract draw scrutiny
Summary
At its Feb. 18 meeting the Select Board reviewed several warrant articles and budgets: Code Enforcement Officer pay will be $82,201; the Land Use Secretary posted at $22–$24/hr; the Fire Department requested $51,000 for Jaws of Life equipment; and the board discussed the $129,385 sheriff/deputy contract billing structure.
The Town of Acton Select Board spent much of its Feb. 18 meeting reviewing warrant articles and answering questions from the Warrant & Finance Committee about personnel, public-safety equipment and contract services.
Town Administrator Jennifer Roux told the board that a $6,500 municipal budget increase covers Maine Municipal dues and that the Code Enforcement Officer’s salary will be $82,201 effective July 1. A new Land Use Secretary position was advertised at $22–$24 per hour; the board said it will fill that post and monitor the role before changing clerical pay.
The board also discussed Article 34, where a $51,000 increase in the Fire Department budget was explained as funding for Jaws of Life extrication equipment. The board approved placing the equipment under the Fire Department’s equipment budget rather than splitting it into separate warrant articles.
Warrant questions about deputy sheriff services focused on accounting and billing. The board heard that the town’s contract with the sheriff’s office moved to a leased vehicle model; the first bill will be quarterly and will be calculated using the contract’s formula for hours the deputy is present in Acton. Roux said prior warrant language and attorney guidance allow the town to use previously appropriated funds for the lease if needed.
Other warrant items reviewed included Article 26 (disposition of tax-acquired property). Roux summarized a 2024 change in state law that requires some tax-foreclosure proceeds to be returned to former owners or estates rather than retained by the town. The Warrant & Finance Committee suggested adding 'immediate family' language to the conflict-of-interest clause; the board deferred that change pending legal review and reiterated that Select Board members would recuse themselves from votes where conflicts exist.
Several smaller warrant edits were approved: revising Article 36 language to clarify maintenance funding for Flat Ground Road, relabeling Article 40 from 'outside organizations' to 'donations' and forwarding Mousam Watershed Dam Coalition budget materials to the committee for Article 38 considerations.
What happens next: the Town Administrator will circulate contract addenda, estimates and revised warrant language to the Warrant & Finance Committee so the committee can vote after the Feb. 19 public hearing on zoning articles and at its next meeting on March 2.
