Townsend Finance Committee clears path for permanent town administrator search

TOWNSEND -- March 30, 2026, Townsend Finance Committee unanimously approved a hiring freeze exemption Monday to allow the town to advertise for a permanent town administrator, while also clearing a second exemption for up to four Water Department summer interns on a 3-0-1 vote. The five-member panel debated at length whether the posted salary range of $140,000 to $180,000 was appropriate for the town's budget, with member Carol Hobbs arguing "I don't think dangling the carrot big is going to get us the best person" and pushing for a $170,000 ceiling; Select Board member Valerie defended the range based on comparable towns, citing West Boylston's expectation of hiring at the top of its identical range after more than a year of searching. Resident Cindy argued the town "hasn't had a real experienced town administrator in years" and urged the committee not to underprice the position. The water intern program, unchanged at $10,000 total for at least six years and funded entirely from the enterprise fund, was approved after members were told the interns would save roughly $30,000 this summer by painting the Highland Tank in-house. Member Kathleen Swofford abstained on the intern vote, citing frustration with the exemption process overall rather than the substance of the request.