PERU — The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously Monday evening to approve an amended version of the town’s personnel policy.
There was very little discussion on the amendments, though Selectman Jim Pulsifer asked the board how they felt about Article 10, Section E, which stipulated that the town had to pay 25 percent of an employee’s accrued sick time for up to 30 days.
“I don’t believe in it, but that’s my personal opinion as a resident and as a selectman,” Pulsifer said. “Why are we paying the employee for accrued sick leave? When they leave, if they have accrued sick time, we pay them 25 percent of that sick leave in cash money. Why should they get paid for it if they decide to leave on their own?”
Chairman Lee Merrill said that the policy was likely in place for people who get laid off or leave the job for other reasons.
Town Clerk Vera Parent said that employees are granted five days of sick time a year, and can accrue up to 30 days of sick time.
Merrill asked Pulsifer if he wanted to recommend that the section be removed.
“I just wanted to see where the rest of the board stood on the issue,” Pulsifer said. “Some towns have even stricter sick leave policies. I know some towns don’t even have one. I don’t personally agree with the policy, but if that’s the will of the board, we can move on.”
Selectman Larry Snowman said that he felt the board shouldn’t adjust the language of the policy anymore, and that they should approve it as written.
In other business, resident Wayne Moore asked the selectmen if they were going to follow up on whether it would be possible for the town to reduce the speed limit at the intersection of Route 108 and Main Street in Peru.
The Maine Department of Transportation visited the town of Peru on March 24 to present the preliminary designs for a conflict warning system that would inform cars waiting at the intersection that a car on Route 108 was approaching.
Several residents asked MDOT Project Manager Aurele Gorneau if MDOT could reduce the speed limit through the intersection from 35 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour.
Gorneau said that the town of Peru would have to write to MDOT to formally request a speed limit change.
Pulsifer said that he would support reducing the speed limit from 35 miles per hour to 30, but felt 25 miles per hour was too slow.
“I don’t know if anyone has noticed, but the difference between 30 and 25 is a lot,” Pulsifer said, adding that he wasn’t sure if people would “hold at 25 miles per hour” through that intersection.
One resident said that if the intersection was better enforced by police, the change in speed limit could work.
Pulsifer said that MDOT should do away with the pass zone through the intersection.
“I don’t even know why they put that pass zone there in the first place,” Pulsifer said.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
