Despite debating several options, voters at Temple’s Town Meeting on Saturday voted not to increase the hours for the Select Board’s administrative assistant position.
The issue was brought up at two separate points in the meeting, first during the discussion of the budget, and again, during a petition warrant article seeking to make the position a full-time one. Currently, the Select Board’s assistant is a 25-hour per week position.
Saturday’s Town Meeting with a discussion on the budget by amending it to $1.36 million, from $1.44 million, on the Select Board’s recommendation. Selectwoman Gail Cromwell said the number printed in the town report was an error, and voters accepted the proposed amendment.
Two other proposed amendments to the budget, however, didn’t go over well with voters. Both would have increased the town office administration line to give more hours to the Select Board assistant position. First, Select Board member Ken Caisse proposed an amendment of $10,820, which he said would allow the town offices to be open 40 hours per week between the town’s part-time employees.
Some residents questioned the need for more office hours, especially if the hours would not increase for the Town Clerk and Tax Collector, who by law set their own hours as elected officials.
“I haven’t heard anything that substantiates the need for more hours for the position,” budget advisory committee member John Kieley said. “What’s the need for this?”
The board said at certain times of the year, particularly budget season, day-to-day items get “pushed off” or “slowed down” due to a lack of hours for the assistant.
The amendment failed, and a second amendment for the same purpose followed almost immediately on its heels, as Honey Hastings moved to amend the town office administration budget up by $4,200, which would allow the administrative assistant to increase from 25 hours to 29. However, that amendment also failed.
The budget then passed at its originally amended amount, $1.36 million.
Voters also didn’t get behind a petition article, requesting up to $50,000 in annual salary and up to $30,000 in benefits to re-establish a full-time administrative assistant, and the measure failed by voice vote.
Voters approved the three-year lease-purchase of a $109,500 backhoe for the highway department. The current backhoe the department uses belongs to Road Agent Tim Fiske and is rented by the town, but Fiske said at Town Meeting that insurance costs have made it increasingly expensive to continue the town to use it. He is also retiring at the end of the year. Renting a backhoe from another company would cost the town approximately $3,000 per month. The town also approved $10,000 for the highway capital reserve and $15,000 for the highway equipment expendable trust.
Residents approved $1,400 for the annual town common holiday light decorations, with the expectation the amount would be included in the annual budget moving forward. They also approved $2,500 for underground wiring on the common that would be used to facilitate the holiday lighting and other town events, such as the Harvest Festival and band concerts.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.