Salisbury selectmen most highly paid in the region

The Northwestern Connecticut Council of Governments (COG) has just released its annual listing of salaries paid to town employees in the region. Towns in the Northwest Corner often refer to the list as they enter into the annual budget planning season. Charts showing all the information can be found at The Lakeville Journal’s website at www.tricornernews.com.The COG is an organization based in Warren, Conn., made up of the first selectmen from nine Litchfield County towns, including all six towns in the Region One school district.Salisbury pays its selectmen the most of all the COG towns, with the first selectman receiving $73,316 and the two selectmen $9,968. North Canaan pays its first selectman $25,000 and the two selectmen $5,000.Falls Village’s first selectman is paid $32,398 and the selectmen $5,335; in Cornwall, the first selectman receives $45,631 and the selectmen $3,320.In Kent the top job is worth $59,081 and the two selectmen get $4,156, and in Sharon the first selectman is paid $54,556 and the selectmen $4,160.Kent’s town clerk leads the salaries for that position at $41,636, with Salisbury right behind at $41,250.The town clerk job in Sharon pays $39,333; in Cornwall, $35,721; in Falls Village, $25,880; and in North Canaan, $6,500 plus a portion of fees collected.The survey chart also shows what the animal control officer, health officer or sanitarian, senior center director, solid waste and recycling coordinator and agent for the elderly are paid annually.In addition to salaries, the survey also shows benefits that town employees receive. Workers in North Canaan, Sharon and Falls Village do not contribute to their premium. Workers in Kent and Cornwall contribute on a sliding scale based on coverage.Workers in Roxbury pay between $500 and $1,000 and town employees in Warren contribute 15 percent while those in Washington do not have to share in their premium cost. Most but not all of the towns have switched to high-deductible and health savings account programs.The chart has information as well on what employees must pay as a co-pay per visit. Health insurance includes dental care for workers in all nine towns except Sharon.The survey also includes information on the number of sick days, personal days and vacation days that employees earn.

Latest News

Books and bites beckon at the upcoming Sharon Summer Book Signing

Author and cartoonist Peter Steiner signed books at Sharon Summer Book Signing last summer.

Photo by Stephanie Stanton

The 27th annual Sharon Summer Book Signing at the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon will be held Friday, Aug. 1, from 4:45 to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 2, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 3, at noon.

Friday’s festivities will honor libraries and the power of the written word. In attendance will be 29 locally and nationally recognized authors whose books will be for sale. With a wide array of genres including historical fiction, satire, thrillers, young adult and non-fiction, there will be something for every reader.

Keep ReadingShow less
Voices from Ukraine to America come to Stissing Center July 27

Ukraine Emergency Fundraiser at The Stissing Center in 2022 raised over $120,000 for Sunflower of Peace.

Photo by Michael Churton

The spirit of Ukraine will be on display at the Stissing Center in Pine Plains on Sunday, July 27. Beginning at 5 p.m., the “Words to America from Ukraine” fundraiser is set to showcase the simultaneous beauty of Ukrainian culture and the war-time turmoil it faces, all the while fundraising in support of Ukrainian freedom.

“Words to America from Ukraine” aims to remind and spread awareness for the suffering that often gets forgotten by those who live in comfortable worlds, explained Leevi Ernits, an organizer for the event. “We are trying to make an attempt to remind people that we are human, and we are connected with human values,” she said. “With very few words, poetry can express very deep values.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Grumbling Gryphons’ set to celebrate 45th anniversary with gala and summer theater camp

Celebrating its 45th year, the Grumbling Gryphons will perform at HVRHS Friday, Aug. 1, at 7 p.m.

Photo provided

The Grumbling Gryphons Traveling Children’s Theater is preparing to celebrate its 45th year — not with fanfare, but with feathers, fabric, myth, chant, and a gala finale bursting with young performers and seasoned artists alike.

The Gryphons’ 2025 Summer Theater Arts Camp begins July 28 and culminates in a one-night-only performance gala at Housatonic Valley Regional High School on Friday, Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. Founder, playwright, and artistic director, Leslie Elias has been weaving together the worlds of myth, movement and theater for decades.

Keep ReadingShow less
Learning calligraphy by hand

Attendees practive brushstrokes led by calligraphy teacher Debby Reelitz.

Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan

Calligrapher Debby Reelitz came to the David M. Hunt Library to give a group of adults and children an introduction to modern calligraphy Thursday, July 17.

Reelitz said she was introduced to calligraphy as a youngster and has been a professional calligrapher and teacher for more than 25 years.

Keep ReadingShow less