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Residents press board on $231,000 East Road resurfacing and highway staffing costs
Summary
Residents questioned where $231,000 for East Road resurfacing came from and whether it will be reimbursed by grant; the board explained a mix of grant and leftover funds. The board also discussed hiring a full-time highway position at $29/hour, estimating the annual cost near $100,000 including overtime.
During the visitors and public-comment portion, residents asked about a $231,000 payment tied to East Road resurfacing and whether the town expects reimbursement. Board members explained that the resurfacing involves a combination of grant funds and leftover town funds; some reimbursements remain pending.
The meeting also included an extended discussion about highway staffing. The highway supervisor and board members described a decision made in executive session to move from a part-time or 0.333 FTE arrangement to hiring a full-time highway employee at a $29 hourly rate. With wages, overtime and related costs, members estimated the first-year cost of the full-time position could approach $100,000. Members debated whether adding staff would reduce overtime and improve road maintenance response times.
The board asked staff to plan bidding for upcoming paving projects and to consider capital-fund strategies to spread large periodic road expenses over multiple years.
