BETHEL – Pending review next month by selectmen, full-time town employees could get a 3-percent raise.

At Monday night’s board meeting, Town Manager Scott Cole sought the raise on behalf of the employees when presenting a proposed wage plan for fiscal 2009.

With the town manager’s $77,000 salary included, the package totals $579,119.

“With the exception of (Bethel Rescue) ambulance service staffing, this plan contemplates no significant changes in staffing or hours, in either direction,” Cole said.

He said there is a $32,000 increase in paramedic raises to increase staffing.

“Roughly 80 to 90 percent of our ambulance service is covered by insurance,” Cole said.

“It’s still the best deal in town,” Selectman Don Bennett said.

Cheryl Bennett of the ambulance service said the increase would cover hiring a second per-diem employee at a time when volunteers are dwindling.

“Right now, we provide a paramedic seven days a week,” she said.

“A $31,800 increase? Is that for extra coverage with somebody?” Selectman Robert Everett asked.

“It could be a driver or it could be a medic. … It gives us somebody to drive an ambulance for a paramedic. Right now, a volunteer has to come out. This is during the day only,” Wheeler said.

Selectmen agreed to take it under advisement until the board’s next meeting.

In other business, Cole said area contractor Richard Tibbetts has offered to sell 30 acres of gravel pits at the end of Bethel Regional Airport to the town for $500,000.

The board took it under consideration.

Selectmen also decided to mull over a request by Oak Drive property owners Albert Blackadar and Theresa Gallo to buy a 50-foot strip of town land.

Blackadar said that when they had their house built in 2004, their initial excavation revealed that their foundation was off by 25 degrees from the original design.

Their contractor made corrections, but the foundation contractor didn’t, resulting in a house angled in such a way that a garage can’t be built without going into the adjacent lot.

Cole said the town has no use for the land.

Selectman Dennis Doyon asked why the board couldn’t just sell the whole lot to them.

Cole said the decision wouldn’t be up to the board, but rather town-meeting voters.

Selectmen did, however, vote unanimously to accept the donation by Mike Pelletier of a 2.5-ton vibrating roller, which is used to compact earth prior to paving.

They also appointed developer and Savage Excavation contractor Rick Savage to the Ordinance Review Committee.