Saying the town should be consistent, Selectman Kathleen Corbet this week called for the Board of Selectmen to approve the hiring of part-time employees just as it does for full-timers.
During Tuesday’s selectmen meeting, Corbet noted that First Selectman Kevin Moynihan mentioned the hiring of a part-time “wedding coordinator” at Waveny during a recent Town Council meeting.
This exchange followed:
Moynihan: We don’t bring part-time employees to the Board of Selectmen.
Corbet: We have in the past. Have you changed the process? The gardener, for instance, is a part-time position.
Moynihan: We never bring part-time employees to the Board of Selectmen.
Corbet: We’ve brought them in the past. Have you changed the policy?
Selectman Nick Williams said he supported Corbet’s request, saying, “I’d like to know.”
“Presumably it’s an expenditure of more than $10,000,” Williams said. He referred to the level of contract or expenditure that triggers approval from the Board of Selectmen (formerly at $5,000).
The discussion came while the selectmen were approving the minutes of a prior meeting. After pointing out that Administrative Officer Tucker Murphy had made an error in the minutes but having a repeated phrase, Corbet broached the issue of the Board’s approval of part-timers. She referred to the town’s hiring one year ago of a $12,000-per-year part-time gardener at Waveny.
Moynihan asked whether the matter of the Board’s approval was in the meeting minutes before the selectmen.
Corbet responded that the minutes from the prior meeting included approvals for full-time hires and that reminded her about the part-time hire mentioned at a recent Town Council meeting.
“I just think let’s keep the process the same or if there’s going to be a change, [discuss] the reason why,” Corbet said.
She added that there are implications in hirings for the town budget.
“So if we can check those we have not approved yet that are part-time and bring them forward in two weeks that would be great,” she said.
The next selectmen meeting is scheduled for Nov. 15.