Selectmen chided on benefits question

Deputy Fire Chief Eric Neubert speaks in support of combining of Lebanon Fire and Rescue adding it's done a lot to shore up morale and rapport between the two. (Lebanon Voice/Harrison Thorp photos)

LEBANON - What roiled Lebanon's public hearing most on Tuesday night may not have been as telling as what didn't as both Rescue and Fire budget ballot questions that called for roughly $100,000 increases to accommodate per diem staffing at both stationhouses drew neither comment nor question from 80 or so attending the Lebanon Elementary School meeting.

Conversely, questions on whether to hire a Town Manager and whether selectmen should be offered benefits like health insurance fueled their share of fingerpointing and accusations.

When asked why he recommended voters to pass an article allowing selectmen benefits, Selectman Royce Heath said only, "It was provided for years and why not get it, to which former selectwoman Judy Churchard retorted, "We never offered benefits to selectmen."

Selectmen Chairman Ben Thompson then interjected that it had, in fact, at one point been done but refused to elaborate citing personnel issues.

For their part, Thompson and Selectman Paul Philbrick both recommended no votes against benefits for selectmen.

The budget committee unanimously recommended to deny benefits to selectmen.

Selectmen's pay thus far this year may have eclipsed that of any other recent trio, with a Lebanon Voice story earlier this year noting that selectmen were averaging more than $1,000 per month. Comments made by selectmen regarding workload and personnel issues on Tuesday indicated those hours may have gone up even further.

Selectmen, from left, Paul Philbrick, Royce Heath and Ben Thompson listen as Corinna Cole speaks on why she believes the town needs a town manager form of government during Tuesday's public hearing at Lebanon Elementary School.

"Now you're talking about giving them health insurance and other benefits plus their salaries and we're getting up around $30,000 apiece," said budget committee member Chris Gilpatrick.

Budget committee members also unanimously recommended not to give benefits to an elected full-time road commissioner like former road commissioner Larry Torno, who died of an untreatable form of cancer in February. Torno had a benefits package, and outrage was sparked when he was stricken with the disease and the town refused to pay his premium when he was no longer able to work. A Gofundme account was set up and paid for one month's premium, and the ongoing controversy ended when he died a few days later.

Gilpatrick, who spoke in explanation of the budget committee's stance, said Torno, beside making his regular roughly $37,000 annual salary, was contracting his one-ton to the town and pulling out another $100,000 a year of taxpayer money as an independent contractor and therefore didn't need to be offered benefits.

Some said that might not be the proper thing to do, especially if a road commissioner is elected who might not want to also be a contractor of town-ordered work.

Selectmen, meanwhile, also split on changing to a town manager form of government, with Heath and Philbrick recommending against the article and Thompson backing the measure.

"I've spent a lot of time at Town Hall," a weary sounding Thompson said. "There's someone (a selectman) there every day. It's a lot of hours. There's so much to do."

Heath countered that selectmen were managing the town's business just fine.

Speaking of the current board, he said, "I see three people managing the town's money quite well."

Philbrick, meanwhile, said there may be merit in the town manager proposal, but thought this referendum lacked detail and would have to be developed more fully for him to support it.

There was also much debate about the $60,000 salary earmarked for a town manager and whether it could attract a sound candidate for the job.

"This is a starting point," said Corinna Cole who drafted the citizen's referendum seeking a town manager. "Last time this was on the ballot the salary was too high and the town shot it down."

A $10,000 expenses line item is noted on the ballot along with the $60,000 salary, but many in the audience questioned whether expenses meant incidentals like gas money or if it meant a benefits package. Others doubted whether $10,000 would be sufficient to fund a town manager's health insurance portion, vacation and sick pay and other expenses and that $10,000 was an unrealistic figure.

Former Lebanon town clerk Laura Bragg, who now works at the municipal offices in Eliot where they have a town manager, said the form of government works well there and that statutes allow selectmen to adjust the town manager's pay.

The Budget Committee recommended the money portion for the town manager position, 5-3.

Most other questions, including large increases in Fire and Rescue budgets met with little comment, however a question concerning the combining of the two departments did draw applause when Deputy Fire Chief Eric Neubert commented what a delight it had been to have the two departments working together smoothly after so many years of constant friction that had festered under the former assistant rescue chief.

After the nearly three-hour hearing covering 44 ballot questions, Thompson estimated a mil rate of about $16 if all articles pass, a hike of about $1.10 over the current year.