BRUNSWICK
John Eldridge has been the town’s finance director for the last 26 years, and the interim town manager since February. The town council wants to offer him the manager job permanently, and could vote tonight on a contract to that affect, according to chairman Benet Pols.
“He’s made a proposal, and the town attorney and his attorney have been batting it back and forth,” said Pols.
The council will also have to figure out how to handle the backlog of accrued vacation time Eldridge has earned over his many years employed by the town.
Town policy states that 240 hours can be carried over a year, according to Pols. Eldridge has about 1,000 hours more than the policy allows.
Department heads tend not to take the vacation time that’s been allotted, which, depending on position and number of years employed by the town, can amount to four to five weeks a year. That’s due, in part, because of the demands of the job.
“It’s not like they’re a CEO of a private company, and they have lots of people to do the work for them,” said Pols. “Basically, it accumulated so much that he couldn’t take the (vacation) time and still do his job.”
The council could choose to address the vacation issue with the contract, or allow the problem to linger, said Pols.
The vacation time could be a liability for the town when Eldridge leaves his position.
“It’s a difficult situation to solve,” said Pols.
Eldridge did not violate the town’s policy by not taking his vacation time, but he is at risk of not getting paid for the vacation time he earned, according to Pols.
The council may or may not decide how to handle Eldridge’s vacation time in closed session.
Details of the contract, including Eldridge’s salary and benefits, and the town’s contribution to his retirement fund, ought to be held in open session, said Pols.
“All that, in my opinion, is public information,” said Pols.
Former Town Manager Gary Brown was paid $109,525 annually, which included a $350 monthly vehicle allowance.
As finance director, Eldridge was paid $92,700. He earned an additional $1,000 monthly stipend when he was made interim manager.
jswinconeck@timesrecord.com
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