Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cushing selectmen split on start date for added vacation benefit; treasurer to review budget
Summary
Selectmen debated whether extra vacation time for long‑service full‑time employees should begin this year or next; Chairman Alton Grover favored a next‑year start while Selectman Laurie Haynes argued the board should implement it immediately. Treasurer Lisa Young was directed to review budget numbers and report back.
The Selectmen revisited a personnel policy change approved at a prior meeting that adds vacation time for full‑time employees with more than 10 years’ service. At the June 8 meeting Chairman Alton Grover said the new vacation time should begin next year because it was not included in this year’s budget. Selectman Laurie Haynes responded that town voters approved the budget authorizing salaries and vacation and that it is the Selectmen’s responsibility to implement benefits the voters funded.
Selectman Heidi Alley noted the board had not formally been told whether the current budget can accommodate an immediate start; the Selectmen directed Treasurer Lisa Young to examine the budget figures and return with numbers at the next meeting. The board did not take a formal vote at the June 8 meeting to change the effective date; the matter remains under consideration pending the treasurer’s report.
The exchange underscores a procedural disagreement about implementing personnel changes outside the formal budget cycle: Grover framed the concern as fiscal timing, while Haynes framed it as honoring the will of voters who approved the budget. Treasurer Lisa Young was assigned to provide clarity on fiscal capacity.
