JAY— Selectpersons voted 4-1 Monday to use $2,500 from the assistant chief’s stipend for an on-call person to assist a per diem firefighter when the fire rescue chief is working in Mexico.
Assistant Chief Jim Shink is resigning effective Thursday. He and his wife have sold their house and are moving to Bangor, Fire Rescue Chief Mike Booker said.
The department is not as large as it once was and there is no need for an assistant chief position at this time so it will be eliminated, Booker said.
A per diem firefighter position goes into effect Friday. The person will work from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. There is $32,000 in the 2022-23 budget approved by voters in April. The new fiscal year begins Friday.
Booker said the $2,500 assistant chief stipend would be used to offset the cost of an on-call person for the five to eight days a month when working with the firefighter in the per diem position while Booker works at his regular job at the Mexico Fire Department. He will also work with the per diem person on other days.
A daytime on-call person receives $40 a day. If there is an emergency call, that stipend is in addition to their regular firefighter pay.
In other business, the town received two sealed bids and an email bid for two, 2004 Ford F-250 trucks to be sold as parts trucks.
The board accepted the highest, which was $4,000 from Michael Davis of New Sharon.
The trucks were free to the Police Department from a military program. The Fire Rescue Department paid for the $5,900 shipping cost. The trucks did not work out as expected.
The intent is that the money from the sale would reimburse the Fire Rescue Department’s equipment line, where the shipping cost originated, Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere said.
Selectmen agreed that Booker could buy turnout gear for some of the new firefighters with the money. The board also gave him permission to overextend the equipment line, but the overall Fire Rescue Department budget would not be overspent. The money might not come in until after June 30.
Selectperson Gary McGrane opposed the motion while Selectperson Chairman Terry Bergeron, Vice Chairman Tim DeMillo, Lee Ann Dalessandro and Tom Goding voted in favor.
In another matter, the Select Board agreed to give the Tri-Town 4th of July Committee Parade $300 out of the Recreation/Tower Reserve Fund. The money would be used for insurance and other expenses.
Bergeron also reminded everyone that the Town Office will close at noon Thursday to close the 2021-22 fiscal year financial books.
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