The Wilton Board of Selectpersons reviews and votes on an executive session for town manager interviews on Tuesday, Oct. 17. Brian Ponce/Franklin Journal
WILTON — The Wilton Board of Selectpersons voted on Tuesday, Oct. 17, to schedule a special Select Board meeting for the following day Wednesday, Oct. 18. The meeting was scheduled from 4 to 7:30 p.m. and continues the interview process for town manager.
The special Select Board meeting will be treated as an executive session and current Town Manager Perry Ellsworth confirmed that no action will be taken at the end of the meeting.
The Select Board, along with members of the hiring committee, met previously on Tuesday, Oct. 10, and Thursday, Oct. 12, to interview potential candidates for the position of Wilton Town Manager.
Ellsworth announced his resignation from the role officially in July to be set for Wednesday, Nov. 1. He had been hinting at the prospect of leaving the position, or reducing his hours, as early as May during the discussion of the town’s annual budget.
In those discussions, Ellsworth pushed for an increase in funds geared towards general government administration to increase compensation for town manager, along with creating an additional part-time position for the town office. He stressed that it was not for his benefit, but to attract potential applicants.
“I’m telling you that if you hire a town manager for less than $85,000 to $90,000, you are making a mistake,” Ellsworth commented. “Your manager will save you money if they know what they’re doing, and it costs money to get someone who knows what they’re doing.”
During the process, Ellsworth has commented on several occasions that he will not vacate his position until a viable candidate is found and secured.
In other business, the Select Board voted unanimously to approve catering for United Way of the Tri-Valley Area’s upcoming Halls of Horrors event, which will be taking place at 128 Weld Road, which is located next to the Wilton Town Office. Ellsworth stated that an area in the building would be sequestered for serving beer and wine.
He added that Fire Chief Sonny Dunham and two fire marshals inspected the property and found it up to code for what UWTVA needs to host the event.
The event is scheduled for four nights [Friday, Oct. 20, Saturday, Oct. 21, Friday, Oct. 27, and Saturday, Oct. 28] and multiple ticket options are available for purchase at UWTVA’s website, www.uwtva.org.
Ellsworth added that he spoke with UWTVA Executive Director Kendra Baker concerning the sale of tickets before inspection of the property had begun. He stressed that, in the future, an events coordinator would help with the planning and organization of events such as the Halls of Horror and the process of inspection.
The Select Board voted unanimously to accept a grant from the Patrick Leahy Bulletproof Vest Partnership to purchase new vest for the Wilton Police Department. Ellsworth stated the grant will amount to $1805 and will contribute to the purchase of new vest for the police department.
In an executive session following the meeting, the Select Board voted to accept the police union contract. The previous union contract ended on June 30. The town now has three year contracts with all of its unionized employees, Ellsworth shared in an email.
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