NORWAY — The Board of Selectmen has appointed Joelle Corey-Whitman as town health officer.
She is also code enforcement officer and plumbing inspector.
She was appointed on the recommendation of Town Manager David Holt as a way to save some money in the coming fiscal year. She will have no pay increase.
Former health officer Samantha Hewey was paid $800 a year.
“I’m looking for any savings we can find,” Holt said.
Earlier this month, Holt unveiled a proposed $3.9 million municipal budget to selectmen and the Budget Committee, saying the town will see a nearly 12 percent decrease in spending if Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed program cuts are approved.
The town budget would require a number of cuts to make up for $250,000 in lost revenue sharing under the governor’s proposal, he said.
Corey-Whitman said the local health officer is a resource similar to code enforcement. Most of the same statutes she must know as code enforcement officer will apply in her post as health officer, she said.
Holt said Corey-Whitman “took the initiative herself” to take the required training courses for the appointment.
He said Hewey, who was appointed in 2009, did a good job but cutting expenses was the overriding factor in her replacement.
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