JAY — Selectmen voted 3-1 Monday to boost wages in the police union contract in an effort to stay competitive and attract more candidates, Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere said.

The department is down two officers.

Chairman Terry Bergeron, Vice Chairman Tim DeMillo and Lee Ann Dalessandro voted in favor, while Tom Goding opposed. Selectman Gary McGrane was absent.

Some adjustments are effective June 4 and again July 1. The three-year contract began July 1, 2022.

To cover the cost of hourly wage increases the board approved designating just more than $34,000 to the payroll line for 2023-24. The money will be received from the Farmington Police Department, LaFreniere said, because Jay paid for an officer to attend the Maine Criminal Justice Academy and the officer recently left Jay Police Department to go to Farmington.

The starting pay for patrolman stayed the same at $22.50 an hour as of June 4. The increases come into play if an officer has three years of service with Jay or Criminal Justice Academy training. In the initial contract, an officer meeting that criteria would be paid $23.58 an hour. In the adjusted contract, the officer will make $26.58. The wage rises in increments to reach $28.13 with 20 years of service, compared to the original contract amount of $24 an hour.

On July 1, most of the wages increase again. A starting patrolman will make $23.18 an hour and receive $23.69 an hour after six months service. A person with one year of service or Criminal Justice Academy training, the hourly wage is $27.29 compared to the original contract wage of $24.29 an hour. With 20 years service that wage increases to $28.84 an hour under the adjustment. It would have been $24.71 an hour in the original contract.

The positions receive wage increases again beginning July 1, 2024.

It is about a 2.5% hourly wage increase in each of the second and third year of the contract, which expires on June 30, 2025, LaFreniere said.

The board voted unanimously to amend the Town Office union contract that serves two staff members. The deputy clerk position held by Raeleen York will include six hours in the Finance Department to do payroll beginning June 5. York had been doing six hours of custodian work at the office. The town just hired a person to do three to four hours of cleaning a week.

Staff at the Police Department and Town Office will be doing more cleaning, LaFreniere said.