HARTFORD — The Board of Selectmen and Budget Committee will revisit a proposal to establish a pension plan for the town clerk, after they get more information.
The proposal in the fiscal year 2016 town budget would allocate $2,500 for an IRA/401(k) plan for Town Clerk Lianne Bedard, who was not at the meeting.
Board Chairman Lee Holman said at last week’s joint meeting of the two panels that the issue was brought up about two years ago.
“Our town clerk said she had no interest in said pension plan,” Holman said about Bedard’s comments two years ago. “It’s interesting because she hasn’t said anything to us about that. She just slid it in there.”
New Budget Committee member Barry Langer, who works for H&R Block, said he did some reading about pension plans.
“If we establish a plan, we would have to offer it to everyone who’s paid $5,000 or more in wages,” he said. “How many of our summer employees make $5,000 in wages? We don’t know because the town clerk won’t tell us.”
“Whoa, whoa whoa,” Budget Committee Chairman Dan Maddox said. “You must be mistaken about the town clerk not honoring a request for information.”
Holman said she believed the town clerk, deputy clerk and potentially the road commissioner and town maintenance person would make that much money and be eligible. Such a plan wouldn’t include selectmen, she said.
“It’s not outrageous that (Bedard) would consider it, since she was offered it some years back,” Holman said.
“It would have deferred her wages into a 401(k). This is the town paying for the 401(k),” Langer said.
Budget Committee Vice Chairman Bob L’Heureux said he didn’t see anything about a matching amount in the proposal.
“I guess it’s something that’s going to be looked at,” Budget Committee member Leslie Boness said. “It needs to have research before there’s anything (decided).”
The proposed town budget stands at $2.19 million, including Oxford County and Regional School Unit 10 assessments. This is $102,446 less than last year’s budget, which resulted in a tax rate of $19.25 per $1,000 of assessed value.
The Budget Committee and selectmen will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesdays, April 14, 21 and 28 at the Town Office.
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