Berlin Finance Committee Approves $1,550 in Reserve Fund Transfers for Staffing

BERLIN — June 17, 2026 — Berlin Finance Committee approves two reserve fund transfers totaling $1,550 to cover staffing gaps. The committee voted 3-0 on each transfer at its June 17 meeting, acting through the reserve fund rather than the standard line item process because the Select Board is not scheduled to meet until July 13. The first transfer of $1,200 goes into the town administrator full-time salary line to pay a newly hired executive assistant — working 19 hours per week and therefore non-benefited — through the end of fiscal year 2026. The second transfer of $350 covers the remainder of June for a temporary town clerk appointed by the Select Board after the elected official declined to take the office; the annual salary line for that position stands at $3,403.52. The reserve fund held roughly $20,000 before the transfers. Officials flagged possible additional requests tied to outstanding electricity bills and a plumbing failure at a town building that required valve replacement and water testing last week.