Berlin Select Board Approves Interim TA Charge, Carnival Permit, and Polling Location Move

BERLIN — March 2, 2026 — Berlin Select Board approves interim administrator charge and advances town administrator search on a busy Monday night. The board unanimously approved a "stabilizer" charge for interim Town Administrator Jeffrey Donahue — introduced at the meeting on his first formal day — giving him authority beyond routine caretaking to advance capital projects and procurement, with members acknowledging his nominal 22-hour-per-week contract may need to flex higher. The board also set a $150,000-to-$175,000 salary range for the permanent TA search, consistent with what outgoing administrator Kristen was paid. In other unanimous votes, the board approved a Fiesta Shows carnival permit for Solomon Pond Mall from April 9 to April 19, signed a memorandum of understanding moving the town's polling location to Berlin Memorial School beginning with the September state primary, and backed Capital Planning Committee recommendations that funnel roughly $300,000 to $350,000 in remaining free cash into the capital stabilization fund. A cable consultant reported that Charter Communications has agreed in draft to raise annual franchise fee payments to the federal maximum of 5 percent of gross revenues — up from $38,782 in 2025 — and to add a third local access channel, with a public hearing tentatively set for April 27 ahead of the May 14 license expiration.