The Town Clerk’s Office budget will reflect a salary decrease for the elected office position, a notion suggested by Town Administrator Michael Gagne, who pointed out that the candidates who have submitted papers for the position have little experience and none of the certifications held by current Town Clerk Barbara Sullivan.

The salary will be reduced to about $52,000 or less, down from Sullivan’s current pay of $59, 025. Finance Committee Chairman Patricia Donoghue suggested putting the difference into the training line item to provide training opportunities for the next town clerk.

“That’s not a bad idea,” replied Gagne, adding that the new town clerk will require significant training in municipal government and management skills. Gagne asked Sullivan to make recommendations as to which specific courses the next town clerk should take.

“I strongly recommend they take as many classes as possible,” said Sullivan.

Aside from a slight increase to the postage and computer software line items, the Fiscal Year 2015 budget Sullivan presented was relatively level-funded.

Several areas of the Water budget increased significantly from last year, including the Mattapoisett River Valley District Assessment that is up $58,000. Water and Sewer Superintendent Nick Nicholson compared Mattapoisett’s assessment increase with those of the surrounding towns, with Fairhaven’s assessment up by almost $136,000, while Marion’s assessment decreased by $46,000.

Nicholson said Marion is pumping less water than ever – down to 135 gallons per hour from an average of 200 to 250 gallons per hour – while Fairhaven has increased its water consumption significantly.

Other substantial increases in the Water budget are the electricity line item, up about $50,000, and the maintenance line item, up by $25,000. Capital planning increased by $75,000.

The Sewer budget did not change much, aside from a couple minor increases in areas like supplies.

Nicholson mentioned that water consumption in Mattapoisett is going down, evidenced by the latest billing cycle compared to the billing cycle six months ago. Accompanied by members of the Water and Sewer Commission, Nicholson discussed with FinCom that decreasing water consumption could eventually have undesirable consequences, such as increasing water rates to cover the costs of providing water to consumers.

Nicholson also touched on the possibility of a future Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection requirement that could restrict outdoor water use to just one day per week state-wide, further decreasing water consumption.

Also present to engage in budget talks, Health Agent Dale Barrows asked the committee to consider allowing a $1,000 increase in his budget to provide for a stand-in for Barrows while he goes on vacations, most notably during the summer.

“But who are you going to pay?” asked Donoghue. Committee members wondered how hard it would be to find someone qualified or someone trainable.

“People like me … we’re not hanging from trees,” stated Barrows, acknowledging the difficulty of finding someone to fill his shoes while he is away.

Barrows said he had someone in mind, but the committee was not convinced $1,000 would be enough to interest someone to accept such a responsibility.

“I certainly believe you need a back-up,” said FinCom Member Paul Amoruso. He said he found the request reasonable, but indicated that Barrows needs to develop a more formal proposal for the committee to consider.

“Well, if I have your support, I’d be happy to put it together,” said Barrows.

Also presenting his two budgets to the committee, Veteran’s Agent and Highway Surveyor Barry Denham stated that there would be no significant changes to the Veteran’s Services budget saying, “We’re in pretty good shape right now with what we got.”

As for the Highway budget, Denham told the committee that he needs $10,881 to buy a new snow plow and repair the pistons on the new loader that were damaged by repeatedly connecting the old plow that is not compatible.

Gagne said the money could be taken from the Reserve Fund for now to cover the cost of the repairs and the $8,500 plow. In May, he said the funding could be transferred from free cash back into the Reserve Fund. Donoghue made the motion, and the committee approved the funding.

The next Mattapoisett Finance Committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 6 at 6:30 pm at Town Hall.

By Jean Perry

The Mattapoisett Police Department has filed for criminal charges against Fire Inspector Lieutenant Patrick Saltmarsh for allegedly stealing $1,345.76 from the Firefighter’s Association, and Saltmarsh could possibly face six counts of embezzlement from an association.

According to a February 28 press release written by Police Chief Mary Lyons, newly-elected association members in January spotted what they considered to be several dubious withdrawals upon reviewing bank account transactions made during the time when Saltmarsh was treasurer of the Firefighter’s Association.

Lyons stated that association members discovered an unusual credit card payment to the Department of Revenue, which raised a red flag because the Firefighter’s Association is a tax-exempt organization, stated Lyons.

“As they continued to audit the account, four ATM transactions were identified as unusual,” Lyons stated, “because it was not the practice of the association to use the automated teller machine to conduct business.” Lyons specified that Saltmarsh was in charge of the ATM card while he was association treasurer.

“Lt. Saltmarsh did cooperate with the police during this investigation,” stated Lyons. “He did not deny making the transactions.”

Saltmarsh’s Attorney Philip Beauregard said during a March 3 phone interview that he is concerned about how town officials have handled the situation since the beginning, citing “unusual circumstances” over how the association investigation led straight to police involvement, specifically the embezzlement charge of $20.

Beauregard questioned the police decision to prosecute “as opposed to asking [Saltmarsh], ‘did you make a mistake and would you like to pay it back?’”

“We wouldn’t have pursued charges if we didn’t feel that he was guilty,” said Lyons during a phone interview on February 28. “We’re sure that he took the money. He didn’t deny it.”

Beauregard told The Wanderer the $20 transaction paid for a Firefighter’s seminar.

“And they’re saying that’s embezzlement,” said Beauregard.

“He had a lot of excuses for why he did it,” said Lyons. “In the end, they just don’t all add up.”

Saltmarsh has not yet been formally charged with embezzlement; rather, Beauregard emphasized that police have filed the criminal complaints with the Fourth District Court in Wareham, and on March 11 a judge will decide if Saltmarsh is to be formally charged.

Saltmarsh was placed on paid administrative leave prior to the embezzlement accusations for an unrelated issue that is still under investigation.

Beauregard stated that earlier this year, Saltmarsh was notified of a medical emergency by a citizen who ran across the street asking for assistance. According to Beauregard, Saltmarsh responded by calling the police, the Town’s designated primary first responder for emergencies, who is responsible for calling and dispatching the ambulance.

According to Beauregard, Saltmarsh was faulted for not running across the street himself to respond to the call for help, as Saltmarsh could hear the sirens of the police approaching to the scene.

“He believed the situation was under control,” said Beauregard.

The Wanderer left several voicemails to Town Administrator Michael Gagne and Fire Chief Andrew Murray for clarification on the matter, to which they did not reply.

By Jean Perry