JAY – On Monday night the Jay Selectboard unanimously passed raising pay for part time and full time reserve officers. Part time reserve officers went from being paid $16.50 to $18 an hour while full time reserves went up $20 an hour.
Police Chief Richard E. Canton IV argued that in order to hang on to the help they already had and to be more competitive with the surrounding towns, a pay raise was necessary.
“[It’s] difficult to find them and keep them working,” Canton said.
Canton hopes this will keep reserve officers working for the town of Jay.
“I have a good group…hoping to encourage them to keep working,” Canton said.
The Police Chief also recommended that the town should scrap the Police Department’s 2013 ford cruiser. The car has at least $2,000 worth of repairs required as well as transmission, motor and rust issues.
“The consensus is we’re just going to keep dumping money into it,” Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere said.
The board unanimously agreed to scrap the cruiser for $800.
The board also looked into replacing the town’s municipal building 25 year old generator which is in need of repairs. The estimated cost of repairs is $2,300, but the generator is showing other potential problems as well that could amount to much more.
LaFreniere also wants to do an energy audit on the municipal building and is hoping to find state incentives to help them increase energy efficiency.
The board agreed to both the audit and replacing the generator, but LaFreniere must provide at least three bids for each.
Paul Binette, the Assessor’s Agent spoke to the board to request that the town’s revaluation which was scheduled for April 1, 2021 be delayed until April 1, of 2023.
The last full revaluation was done in 2006.
Binette doesn’t think right now is the best time for going door to door with the pandemic still in full swing. He suggested the two year delay to give plenty of space for everything to cool down.
The board agreed and passed the delay unanimously.
The board voted to charge the maximum interest rate on delinquent taxes as allowed by the state at six percent.
The town has traditionally allowed property owners to pay taxes and sewer in full on a foreclosed property within 30 days of the foreclosure to redeem that property. The date of foreclosure is Feb. 1, for unpaid properties.
The board made no changes and voted to allow payments through March 1.
