Oakham Select Board Names Interim Treasurer Collector, Broadens Job Search

OAKHAM — January 21, 2025 — Oakham Select Board appoints interim treasurer collector and widens hiring search. With the treasurer collector position vacant and a financial software conversion set to go live in February, the board voted unanimously Tuesday to appoint Town Administrator Maribel as interim treasurer collector at the established treasurer collector pay rate, while simultaneously voting to continue advertising the position more broadly. "I don't want to feel forced to choose the first person that comes in," one board member said, citing the need for more candidates. The board also accepted an anonymous donation of a Meyer Crossfire electronic in-bed sander, valued at approximately $8,000, to the Highway Department — useful on narrow roads where larger trucks cannot operate. Highway Superintendent Patrick Martirosian briefed the board on the preliminary concept of paving East Hill Road, the town's sole remaining dirt public road, but a board member living near the road questioned whether the expenditure was justified given low traffic volume and the availability of Chapter 90 funds for other projects. On FY26 budgets, the board flagged a 6.6 percent regional dispatch increase bringing Oakham's share to a preliminary $72,136.70, a $10-per-hour legal services rate hike to $245 through KP Law, and a $500 ambulance contract increase, with department budget review sessions set to begin February 3.