HOULTON, Maine — During a brief meeting on Tuesday evening, town councilors approved the transfer of funds from the municipal surplus account in order to cover the cost of accrued sick and vacation time for former employees and for coverage in the legal account.
Town Manager Bill MacDonald said Wednesday that the transfer of $41,055 of from the undesignated fund was necessary to pay three former employees for their accrued time.
“We had former employees who either retired or went to other jobs,” he said. “We had to pay them for the time that they did not use.”
One of the employees was former Town Manager Butch Asselin, who left the post in August to be town manager in Oxford.
MacDonald said that the transfer includes $29, 825 for the accrued vacation and sick time and $11,229 for the town’s legal account.
The move will reduce the fund balance to $1,521,153.
In other business, MacDonald updated the council on a meeting that he had with tourism officials regarding the Visitors Information Center in Houlton and other matters. He also let the council know about a program that the Houlton Police Department is doing, in which they are making fluorescent vests and ice grippers available upon request.
Anyone who wants the items can stop at the police department and request them.
