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Royalton budget discussion centers on splitting administrator duties and rising personnel costs
Summary
Article 5 presented a $2,563,660 general-fund operating budget and prompted discussion about rising town-office expenses. Board members described splitting a combined administrator/finance role back into separate positions to reduce turnover and preserve institutional knowledge.
Article 5 set proposed general-fund operating expenditures at $2,563,660 (about $2,280,620 to be raised by taxes). Board members and residents questioned line-item increases and salaries; the Select Board explained that the town had moved a former combined administrator/finance role into separate full-time and part-time positions after turnover and workload issues during the pandemic. "Eventually, she was doing about 1.5 jobs... part of the reason that Victoria left was because she was doing 1.5 jobs and felt that she was not being compensated properly," a board speaker said while explaining the rationale for restoring separate positions.
Supporters on the floor praised current staff performance and urged the town to pay for continuity and competence; a former select-board member said staff "deserve to be paid for what they do." Board members committed to monitor hiring and line items and to provide additional line-item clarifications (for example, increases in buildings-and-grounds or retirement contributions) if requested.
