Blandford Select Board Approves 5 Percent Raise for Highway Superintendent Halsey

BLANDFORD -- April 6, 2026, Blandford Select Board gives Highway Superintendent Ray Halsey a 5 percent raise to $81,078 after his first annual performance review. The board voted unanimously Monday to approve the increase, retroactive to Halsey's March 24, 2025 start date, after negotiations that began with Halsey asking for $85,000, the figure listed in the original job posting, and the board settling at 5 percent, citing a needs-improvement rating on administrative duties alongside strong marks for field operations and community relations. The board also voted unanimously to leave unchanged the personnel policy requiring highway workers to pay one-third of CDL licensing costs, rejecting a department request for full town coverage of the roughly $7,900 expense, though it agreed to add a provision reimbursing study materials up to $150. In separate action, the board appointed Amy Heidstrom as a Porter Memorial Library trustee to fill the seat of longtime trustee Charles "Chuck" Benson, who resigned, and acknowledged a sole bid of $79,187.75 from LB Corporation for paving work on the lower section of Russell Stage Road, with a July 19 completion deadline.