LIVERMORE — Selectpersons on Tuesday debated how much a part-time Highway Department employee was being used, leaving the decision to Foreman Roger Ferland.

Selectperson Megan Dion asked what the worker was doing for tasks and whether he was working at the same time as the three full-timers. She said he should be kept for flagging at road construction sites this summer and for fill-in during vacations.

Ferland said the employee is painting and cleaning.

“If you want to use three people, we will do everything we can,” he said.

Dion said she was concerned that the part-time would not have enough hours available for the flagging work later this summer.

Board of Selectpersons Chairman Mark Chretien said he was OK with the part-timer as long as there was money in the budget and necessary work was getting done.

“The budget is not the issue here,” Dion said. “There is a lot of vacation time that can be taken before the end of June. That’s when we need the fill-in person,” Dionsaid.

Another concern was the town possibly having to pay for health insurance and workers’ comp if the part-timer worked beyond a certain number of hours per week.

“Roger needs to keep an eye on the worker’s hours so they are under the threshold,” Selectperson Timothy Kachnovich said.

“There had been a clause in the personnel policy stating if a temporary worker worked an average of 35 hours per week for more than 10 weeks, she/he was eligible for health insurance and workers’ comp,” Administrative Assistant Amy Byron said Thursday.

The policy has been amended and the clause removed, she said.

pharnden@sunmediagroup.net

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