With budgets being presented in preparation for the March vote, you should get to know our Weare Board of Selectmen.
There are too many issues to highlight here, however here are two of interest:
The police chief, who is a retired 32-hour-a-week part-timer, will now in the second year of his contract receive a 7 percent, $6,041 pay raise to equal a $90,000 salary. Per the contract, add to that a $5,500 insurance buyout.
Secondly, your selectmen just signed a five-year contract with the town administrator. It provides an immediate pay raise of 18 percent at $14,052. That is a salary of $92,000, up from $77,948. Per the contract, there will be additional pay raises in the last three years. This contract was signed Dec. 27. For this the selectman held their first public hearing on Jan. 15, 2018, with a second scheduled for Jan. 22.
That’s how it’s done in Weare, when town government wants your tax dollars. Of interest to you, I received a 2 percent Social Security increase. To add insult to injury, my net earnings is the same as last year.
Now you can follow the money when the selectmen request your tax dollars. But they may not appreciate public input.
FRANK CAMPANA
Weare