The Lisbon Town Council voted Tuesday night to keep former interim Town Manager Jim Bennett as an adviser for a year as officials sort out the upcoming budget, onboard new people and advance other projects.

Newly appointed Town Manager Sarah Bennett — no relation — said keeping Bennett will allow her to strategize how best to “reshape and modernize” the assistant town manager position, aligning the position with the town’s long-term goals before the position is filled, she wrote in meeting documents.

Jim Bennett was appointed interim town manager last year while councilors searched for a permanent manager. They voted this month to hire Assistant Town Manager Sarah Bennett for the position and she started shortly after Jim Bennett’s contract was extended a few more weeks.

“He’s taken on a lot of projects and I think using his expertise as long as we can would be beneficial,” Sarah Bennett said. “I’m not looking for him to take the assistant town manager position obviously, but if we can keep him on board that would be my preference.”

Councilors said that with the town still working through its upcoming budget, onboarding new finance staff and juggling other projects, it was best to keep Bennett on to help see those efforts through.

“Ultimately it’s just a year in which — just to make sure we’re continuing through with any projects we have open,” Council Chair Chris Camire said.

Jim Bennett will be directed by the town manager and assist her with some day-to-day operations, he said in an email Wednesday. He will continue to work with the council on the budget, which include major operational changes.

He is also the lead on getting the new Finance Department “back on track,” and assisting the staff, including catching up on audits, he said. He’s also helping in a potential merger between the Lisbon Water Department and the town. He expects other things to come up that may also require his help.

The town is still budgeting for an assistant town manager, Camire said, but having Bennett stay on allows councilors some time to fill that position and find the right person for the job.

Bennett will be paid roughly $1,800 for a required minimum of 24 hours per week. The town does not have to pay him more if he agrees to work more hours during the contract. Bennett’s wage is far below the wage currently budgeted for assistant town manager, saving the town some money.

The assistant town manager wage in the proposed budget is $166,544.32, according to Jim Bennett. If he works the full year, though he thinks that is unlikely, it would cost the town $117,572.24, saving $48,972.08.

The town will also reimburse Bennett for medical expenses up to $500 per month, with that amount carried over month to month if it is not exhausted. The town also will contribute $200 per week into a retirement account for him while the contract is in effect.

The council will review Bennett’s performance after six months. The contract will go into effect after the current contract extension expires next month, and it can be terminated at any time by him or the town with two weeks notice.