By ARCHIE MOUNTAIN
GOSHEN — Goshen Town Clerk/Tax Collector Cindy Williams got a pay raise Saturday night.
The raise, approved by voters at the annual Goshen Town Meeting in the Town Hall, will boost her salary by $4.25 an hour, from $13.75 to $18.
Warrant Article 13, submitted by petition, was moved to the front of the agenda at 6:30 p.m. and by 7:40 a ballot vote gave Williams her pay raise on a 39-16 margin.
Since 2009, Williams has realized an increase in salary of only $1.18 per hour, from $12.57 to $13.75.
Even with the increase along with additional hours, the town will benefit by additional and more convenient hours of operation and still realize a net savings of $8,782.88 annually, according to a sheet of information distributed to voters prior to the discussion.
The savings will be realized because the Deputy Town Clerk will work only 16 hours a week instead of 30, reducing that salary from $19,110.02 to $12,480.00 Benefits of $19,949.17 will be reduced to $2,443.98 due to the reduction in hours.
The total for that position will drop from $39,059.19 to $14,923.98.
In 2017 Williams made $21,450.00 in salary at 30 hours per week along with $22,197.72 in benefits for a total of $43,674.72.
At her upgraded 2018 salary she will receive $32,760.00 with benefits of $26,240.05, a total of $59.000.05.
In total, salary and benefits for both positions in 2017 were $82,706.91 and will be $73,924.03 in 2018, a savings of $8,782.88.
In her presentation Saturday night to Goshen voters, Williams said as of Feb. 1, the Deputy, Chris Smith, is working only two days a week, a total of 16 hours per week, down from a previous 30-hour schedule.
“The office workload varies on a weekly basis, but the reduced available man hours is insufficient for the job,” according to Williams.
The Town Clerk is currently using personal time, unpaid, to get all the work done, she told voters. That is why she requested five hours be added to her weekly schedule, going from 30 to 35 hours.
Williams said the new arrangement will allow the Town Office to be open all day on Tuesdays instead of a half-day, and will open each day at 7:30 a.m. with a half hour taken for lunch instead of the current allotted hour.
At the outset of Saturday’s meeting, it was mentioned that any elected position can only get a pay raise by a vote of the town.
“Never in 15 years has the Goshen Budget Committee ever spent more time on one item,” said Barbara Paronto, chairman. “We tried to find a reasonable salary and recommended $17 per hour,” she stated.
“The salary Cindy is getting is embarrassing,” one voter said.
“The extra five hours is really needed. I do a lot of things behind the scenes,” Williams revealed. “I’m willing to go up and beyond. This raise for me would make a livable raise.”
Williams said as Town Clerk she gets to keep half of the $3 fee motorists pay for their stickers when registering their vehicles. “If several vehicles are involved I suggest they go to the New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles Office in Newport where no fee is charged,” she said.
The general government operating budget of $301,225 was approved. Budgets approved as presented by both the selectmen and budget committee that were passed included Public Safety, Highway and Streets, Sanitation, Health, Welfare, Cultural Recreation, Conservation, Debt Service, and Capital Reserve Funds
Article 5, modifying the provisions for elderly exemption from property tax in the Town of Goshen was approved.
A sum of $12,445 for the 2017 backhoe loader lease payment was approved.
Old Province Road will be repaired for $100,000 with $30,000 coming from the Roads Capital Reserve Fund and $70,000 from the Unassigned Fund Balance.
The town will discontinue health benefits for any new part-time employees as of Jan. 1, 2018. Full-time help is 35 plus hours per week.
The town will withdraw $15,000 from the Transfer Station Special Revenue Fund to build roofs over the canisters at the transfer station.
A sum of $15,990 will be added to the Grange Restoration Capital Reserve Fund with money to come from the Unassigned Fund Balance (this represents $7,500 received from The Friends of the Grange and $8,490, received from the Moose Plate Grant. No amount will be raised from taxation.
Approval was also given to raise and appropriate $15,000 for Transfer Station operations with the funds to come from the Transfer Station Special Revenue Fund.
In Tuesday’s election, Bruce Nadeau polled 41 votes to capture the three-year term for selectman. Dianne Craig had 30 votes and Alicea Bursey, 29.
Cindy Williams was re-elected Town Clerk/Tax Collector for three years with 100 votes; Jan Parmalee, cemetery trustee for three years, 79; planning board, three years, George Hebert, 87; moderator, two years, Mary Walter, 91; budget committee, three years, Barbara Paronto, 88, and Jan Parmalee, 86; library trustee, three years, Bonnie Belden, 87, and Janelle Dawson, 78 and zoning board, three years, Alicea Bursey, 83, and Judith Dunn, 73.
All six zoning amendments passed.
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