JAY – The Board of Selectpersons approved the hiring of a full-time employee for the Public Works Department at Wednesday’s meeting, in an effort to meet staffing needs in advance of the winter season.
The department is smaller than it has been in the past to begin with, down from 13 employees to nine, counting the mechanic and Highway Foreman John Johnson, and has two employees that are either on, or soon will be on, medical leave. With 95 miles of road to plow, Johnson said, seven people simply wouldn’t be able to do the job.
The board voted to advertise for a full-time position on the department. In addition to covering for people on medical leave, that new position will help a department that has a couple of people nearing retirement. The position may not be easy to fill; Johnson warned the board that a number of similar positions remained unfilled across the state.
The board also authorized town officials to close the transfer station if necessary, to allow the employees there to plow roads. All of those employees are now on the same contract as Public Works and have the appropriate licenses, so Johnson said that wouldn’t be an issue. Department employees going off payroll meant that there would be adequate funding to cover the position.
Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere said that the town office would work to alert the public and coordinate with Archie’s when closings were necessary.
“There’s a lot of moving pieces to keep track of,” Johnson said. “It’s going to get done but it’s not getting done with seven people.”
The board also approved a timeline for the 2020 budget process that would conclude with the annual town meeting referendum on April 28. An initial workshop would be held with members of the Budget Committee and the Board of Selectpersons, followed by a more formal meeting and vote. Grant and program funding requests will only be accepted from organizations previously funded by Jay, similar to the process over the last few years.
The town does need people to serve on the Budget Committee, as well as the Paving Committee. Interested residents should contact the town office.
Great Job Jay with thinking outside the box for coverage of town roads and plowing. Hiring transfer station employees that can help with town plowing is a great idea keeping the costs down and head count down for tax payers!