WHITMAN — September 29, 2026 — The Whitman Select Board on Tuesday voted on a full hiring freeze through Jan. 31 that would require board action before any vacancy is filled, as the town prepares for a Jan. 30 debt exclusion election on its share of the new South Shore Tech building. The board also heard that free cash was certified at $1,123,115.
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The motion covers vacancies as well as new positions. Town Administrator Sabrina Chilcott presented it as a step the town should take before asking voters to raise their taxes.
There are other things that we’re doing, because this building cannot be built through the general fund. It just can’t.
— Sabrina Chilcott, Town Administrator 1:04:28
The motion changed throughout the discussion. An initial version covered only new positions through Jan. 31. Chilcott said replacing a retiree would not have counted as a new position. Chair Justin Evans said the town should consider not backfilling anyone who leaves, while Dan Salvucci said some jobs, such as the building department’s secretary, would have to be filled. Chilcott then proposed a full freeze, with postings between meetings going to the chair in consultation with the town administrator. Dawn Byers then asked that vacancies come to the full board instead. The final motion, made by Shawn Kain, calls for board action to fill any vacancy.
Evans said the town set up a similar review before an earlier operational override, and when that override failed, left a vacancy unfilled rather than lay someone off. Byers emphasized that a freeze and cuts to discretionary spending would not cover the first-year payment on the school building.
Earlier in the meeting, the board voted on the police department’s request to begin hiring two officers to replace retirements expected around December. Byers asked how that request fit with a freeze. Chilcott said the positions are replacements, not new jobs, and Chief Hanlon said the step allows background checks and a civil service list for a January academy without hiring anyone yet.
On the Plymouth County retirement assessment, Chilcott said the increase came in at 7.03 percent, against the 7.23 percent the town had set aside. Evans said the county extended its funding schedule to 2032, keeping the average annual increase under 10 percent, at 9.75 percent, and lowered its projected rate of return. He called it short-term relief, with the town’s 2028 assessment projected near a 10 percent increase.
Kain called the county’s approach “foolish” and the top reason the town is struggling with its budget, saying the yearly increase exceeds the town’s projected new growth of about $350,000. He said the board should discuss pension obligation bonds and advocacy at the state level. Byers asked for a report in dollars rather than percentages.
On free cash, Evans said $1,123,115 falls short of the town’s financial policy target and showed revenues were over-projected last year. Kain disagreed, saying the projections were right and the budget lines are simply tight. Byers asked for a report on how fiscal 2026 closed, and the board would revisit it for Oct. 6.
