West Newbury Select Board Approves Permits, Wage Tables, and Animal Control Contract in Unanimous Vote

Select Board · Meeting of June 18, 2026

West Newbury Select Board approves wave of reappointments, wage tables, and animal control contract on unanimous votes. Chair Wendy Reed and members Barry Fogel and Christopher Wile acted on more than a dozen items at the June 18 meeting, voting 3-0 on each action taken. Town Manager Angus Jennings disclosed that Treasurer/Collector Caitlin Gilbert had resigned effective July 16, leaving the Finance Department with no assistant in place and creating a coverage gap on bank accounts that Jennings said may require accelerating the interim town manager appointment.

The board approved FY27 Grade/Step and salary wage tables reflecting a 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment, extended Finance Committee member terms to July 16 for Dennis LaMalfa and Gary Roberts, and endorsed West Newbury's positions on 20 Whittier Tech regional agreement questions — modifying the campus location vote to specify the Northern Essex Community College site. The board tabled a proposed increase to the town's EV charging station rate after learning the stations are costing taxpayers approximately $7,000 per year net of revenues, with the current 35-cents-per-kilowatt-hour rate generating only $2,440 annually against roughly $9,447 in electricity and warranty costs.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 4,285 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of June 18, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.