Town Manager, Chiefs Get New Contracts

ORLEANS – Three top town officials have inked new contracts with the town.

 The select board last week unanimously voted to approve a new contract for Town Manager Kim Newman and revised contracts for Police Chief Scott MacDonald and Fire Chief Geof Deering. The contracts follow on the heels of successful negotiations with the town’s labor unions.

 “I think this is an opportunity to say to the public how confident we are in our town manager, police chief and fire chief,” select board chair Kevin Galligan said June 4.

 Newman, who started with the town in July 2023, is entering the third year of her current contract. She has a base salary of $206,700 for the current fiscal year and will be paid $219,000 for fiscal 2026, which begins July 1.

Newman’s new contract runs for five years, from fiscal 2027 through fiscal 2031. She will be paid a base salary of $231,000 for fiscal 2027, with a 3 percent cost of living increase in each subsequent year. Her new contract also includes a $15,000 annual reimbursement for housing expenses as well as a $4,000 monthly automobile allowance. 

 MacDonald’s and Deering’s contracts are effective beginning fiscal 2026 and run through fiscal 2030. MacDonald will be paid a base salary of $209,138 for fiscal 2026, with a 2.5 percent cost of living raise each following year. He will also receive annual stipends of $1,000 for serving as the town’s civil defense acting director and $5,000 for maintaining the department’s accreditation.

 Deering’s contract calls for a base salary of $210,306 for fiscal 2026, with 3 percent cost of living increases each following year through fiscal 2030. His contract also includes a $7,500 stipend for his role as the town’s emergency management director. That figure will increase by $500 for fiscal 2026 and $1,000 each in fiscal years 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030.

 Newman said that negotiating the chief and manager contracts alongside those for all other town employees sends a message of stability and unity within the town ranks.

 “It was critically important to myself, Chief Deering and Chief MacDonald that we have parity in the contracts, so that employees know that we’re in this together, that all being treated the same and we’re being measured in the same ways,” she said.