Oakham Hires Part-Time Treasurer Help, Debates Animal Control at Special Meeting

OAKHAM — June 4, 2025 — Oakham Select Board hires part-time treasurer help and moves to preserve animal control officer at special meeting. Meeting Wednesday, the board unanimously approved engaging Sharon Ashley, a certified treasurer-collector working in Brookfield and Holland, at $40 per hour to help close out the fiscal year in the treasurer-collector's office following a software conversion and staffing vacancy — far below a previously quoted rate of $175 per hour from a Hardwick firm. The board also voted unanimously to direct the police chief to work with the Finance Committee to find roughly $7,100 within the police department budget to restore the animal control officer position, which was cut from the fiscal 2026 budget; the chief warned that operating without a certified officer exposes the town to significant liability under Massachusetts certification requirements. A Finance Committee member attending informally noted that Oakham's adopted $4,957,711 fiscal 2026 budget leaves a surplus of just $356, and that the town accountant has already warned the board to prepare for a Proposition 2 1/2 override in fiscal 2027.