GLEN SPEY, NY — Laurie Terry’s November 7 election as town clerk created three job vacancies in Lumberland’s town government. Terry will be replacing incumbent Ginny Horn, who chose not to seek re-election.

However, officials said Terry’s victory took a hub from the wheel of town administration, as she had held down three other part-time positions, including the clerk to the code enforcement officer and assessor, the planning board and zoning board of appeals.

That left the town board in need of a replacement or replacements. Board members said Terry’s multiple positions improved efficiency, since paperwork that would otherwise have been passed from one desk to another was handled by one person. Terry, who was on hand in the audience, had no replacement to suggest.

The board also had trouble wording a job description and price a starting salary, as the salaries of the jobs vary. The planning board clerk earns $184 per month, the ZBA clerk $51.50 monthly, while the CEO’s clerk is paid $14.71 for a 25-hour week. They settled on a probationary starting wage of $14 per hour and agreed to publish legal notice.

Following the November 1 public hearing, the board gave final approval for the town’s 2018 budget. The new budget, unchanged from the tentative budget introduced last month, will provide for appropriations of $3,110,111.

The budget will be funded by $557,275 in non-tax revenues in addition to $2,552,836 from property taxes. The tax levy will be $46,170, or 1.84% higher than the current budget, but below the state-mandated tax increase ceiling.

The budget vote was 4-1, with Councilman James Akt opposed. Akt said he voted “no” because the budget was taking money from other employees and “giving it to the girls in the office.” He did not expand on his comment.

Supervisor Jenny Mellan said only that Akt had not brought up his concerns during the budget preparation process.

Additionally, the board agreed to name Steven Kosmacher to a vacant position as an alternate planning board member, and formally accepted donation of an automatic emergency defibrillator (AED) unit presented last month by the Lumberland Fire Department.

The board also scheduled a 7 p.m., December 13 public hearing on a code enforcement order for an uncollected rubbish removal citation at the Bodnaruik/Henry property on West Indian Trail in Mohican Lake.