March 29, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Palmyra board OKs pay for town workers> Two selectmen balk at approving warr next day

PALMYRA — After the weekly meeting of the Palmyra selectmen Wednesday night, four town employees were left wondering if they would be paid this week. Only two selectmen signed the weekly warrant to allow the town staff to be paid this week. A third signature was needed for a majority approval.

According to Town Clerk Joan Bradley, unanswered questions on overtime claims prevented Selectmen Victor Kimball and Sheila Later from approving the warrant Wednesday. Bradley said Selectman Priscilla Jones left early. It was unclear if she intended to sign the warrant.

Contacted late Thursday, Jones did not indicate if she would sign the warrant, but it had become unnecessaray by that time. Later agreed midway through the day to sign the warrant to allow the treasurer to issue checks.

Jones said the dispute on overtime needed to be addressed.

“We have a real problem with overtime, and we haven’t had a real storm yet,” she said.

A change in the workweek had the effect of adding to overtime costs rather than allowing work to be rescheduled later in the week to control overtime.

Selectmen Robert Squires and Mathys Van Dam were the only board members to sign the warrant Wednesday.

In other business, four Palmyra junkyards remain unlicensed and a fifth filed a late application as of Wednesday. One week ago, selectmen refused to sign licenses for junkyards or automobile graveyards where the code enforcement officer had questions about the operation or asked for further cleanup. According to Bradley, the code enforcement officer has not returned to town for a second review to determine if the four yards in question can be licensed.

Townspeople attending Wednesday’s meeting objected when action was slated on the late application.

According to Bradley, it is unclear if an additional public hearing is necessary because the application was not filed in time for the first hearing. She explained none of the junkyards was specified in the public notice posted for the hearing, but that the notice announced a hearing for all junkyards operated within the town. With that as a guideline, she assumed an additional hearing would not be necessary for the application of Robert Shaw on Gee Road.

Shaw, along with the yards operated as Rowe’s Salvage, K&K Salvage, Pratt’s Double E Salvage and RP Enterprises, remain unlicensed heading into the new year.

Selectmen were questioned about another possible junkyard operating near the Hartland town line.

Selectmen also held an executive session on an employee matter, without any resulting action.

In other action, selectmen signed the warrant for a special town meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, at the Palmyra Consolidated School. Residents will vote on new ordinances regardingthe creation of a Board of Appeals, the job description of the code enforcement officer, and a change in the job description of the administrative assistant.


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