Resident urges transparency after town’s separation agreement pays more than policy allows

Anthony Wilson, a town resident, used the public-comment period to read a detailed letter asking the Belgrade Select Board to explain a separation agreement with the outgoing town manager that, he said, appears to compensate 387.11 hours of leave despite a personnel policy that caps payout for unused time at 240 hours. “If the board chooses to disregard established policy in this instance, taxpayers deserve a clear explanation as to why,” Wilson read aloud, citing Section 8 of the personnel policy and warning of a problematic precedent for future separations.

The board prefaced the public-comment period with a statement prepared with town counsel emphasizing that specific personnel issues are confidential and must be requested through the town’s public-records process. The chair told the room that negotiations and deliberations can occur in executive session but that a formal vote or action must be taken publicly in accordance with Maine’s Freedom of Access Act.

Wilson pressed three specific questions: how the agreement was approved, why town policy appeared to be set aside, and whether taxpayers incurred costs inconsistent with policy. He also cited a board discussion in which members described the separation package as “the right thing to do” and said that, unless separation terms were explicitly included in the manager’s contract, the personnel policy should govern payout.

Board members acknowledged the concern and said staff would research the executive-session minutes and related records to determine whether the required public actions and minutes exist; the chair said members could submit record requests to the town-records officer. The board also reiterated that confidentiality obligations constrain what can be discussed in public about personnel matters but committed to responding to records requests as provided by law.

Next steps: the board said staff would search for any relevant executive-session minutes and return with clarification, and members encouraged anyone wanting personnel records to file the standard request so the town can respond through the appropriate statutory process.