Towns across the state are looking at ways to save money by consolidating services, but Southborough has passed on an opportunity to share a building inspector and will instead hire a full-time one.
With longtime building inspector Peter Johnson set to retire next month, the Board of Selectmen explored the option of sharing Ashland’s current building inspector. Ashland floated the idea at a meeting last week, and proposed a 50/50 split involving their current building inspector, with Southborough getting half his time and paying half his salary.
But Southborough selectmen decided they wanted a full-time employee. While the board acknowledged that the number of building inspections has decreased, they want someone to focus on additional tasks. “We need to step up zoning enforcement, and that requires a full-time employee,” said Chairman Bill Boland.
A job description is posted on the town website.
That’s good news. Good decision by the Selectmen!