Livermore Falls employees upset over lack of budget
Town officials have set the date for the annual town meeting for Wednesday, June 11.
By Cora C. Briggs
Special to the Sun Journal

LIVERMORE FALLS – The Budget Committee and selectmen agreed Tuesday night that the continuing delay in setting the 2003-04 budget isn’t fair to town employees.

“Most municipal employees are wondering right now if they’ll have a job,” said Fred Nadeau, transfer station custodian.

“It’s about time employees know what’s going on,” added Road Foreman Denis Castonguay. “It’s a hard thing to work every day and not know.”

Officials set the annual town meeting date as June 11, a Wed-nesday, rather than on a Saturday as had been suggested.

Clayton Putnam had suggested changing the day in an effort to get more voters to attend but was outvoted by citizens who said Moderator Darryl Brown would be unavailable and that other activities are already planned for that day.

The election will be on Tuesday, June 10, followed by an evening town meeting Wednesday.

Selectmen agreed to give Town Manager Alan Gove the same 3 percent raise other employees will receive.

Comment was made that his salary is below the average for a town this size and that Gove is the only town employee not covered by the town’s health insurance.

Apparently it had been suggested he should receive a stipend in lieu of the insurance. “If everybody’s taking a cut, it’s a bad time to ask for it,” said Fire Chief Ken Jones.

Putnam agreed noting it was a very bad time and would be setting a dangerous precedent to compensate an employee for not using health insurance. He also noted that (no insurance) was why he had supported Gove’s current $44,200 salary.

Roger Ouellette, president of the Livermore Falls Library Association, presented the library’s proposed budget of $56,364.06, pleading for the entire amount, even though it represents an increase.

When the library was donated to the town the donor felt townspeople should care enough to support it, he said. “It’s been a struggle to pay staff, we have not kept up over the years,” he said.

Ouellette explained that the staff are long-serving, hard-working people who receive no health insurance, have no retirement plan, etc., and are only being given a 2.8 percent raise. All library employees are part time. Wages proposed for 2003-04 tally $41,284.06, of which $21,528 is for the director.