Board approves salary and health insurance increases

LIVERMORE FALLS — Selectmen accepted three-year union contracts for employees in the police and highway departments Monday, Town Manager James Chaousis II said.

The contract will provide a 2-percent wage increase to all members of each department, but it also calls for an increase in the employee contribution to health care, he said. Each employee used to pay 5 percent; it will now be 8 percent. The change reflects a comparison to Maine Municipal Association policies, Chaousis said.

After negotiations in executive sessions, the board approved providing 100-percent of sick leave time and a 2-percent raise to dispatch center employees dating back to July 1of this year, he said.

Although the town's dispatch center will disband on Nov. 30, providing the sick leave and pay raise was discussed during contract negotiations, he said. The town is only obligated for 25 percent of the sick leave time but the board agreed to the 100 percent or less than 100 hours of pay.

The board also moved to provide the same 2-percent increase for nonunion town employees, who will see the same increase in their health insurance, he said.

In other business, five interviews for the code enforcement officer position were held this week, Chaousis said. He plans to have the position filled by the board's December meeting.

abryant@sunjournal.com