Andrews plans to get help from non-profit

    Andrews – Town officials are negotiating to contract services from a non-profit organization that will handle part of the workload left behind by the former town administrator, who resigned earlier this month.
    Lawmakers plan to hire the Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project, a nonprofit that helps small towns obtain loans and grants needed for capital improvements to water distribution or collection systems. The tentative agreement being discussed requires the town to pay travel expenses for a SERCAP representative to work out of town hall twice a week for the foreseeable future.
    It’s uncertain whether the town would have to pay the representative an hourly wage.
    “We're getting close to an agreement,” said Randy Welch, a SERCAP representative who has been working with Andrews free of charge for about two years. “This is a new avenue where we would actually do more in-depth work with the town to help with public works, public utilities and project management.”
    If all goes well, the deal would require Welch to implement capital maintenance and inventory management plans, supervise the water and sewer departments, conduct facility assessments, participate in town board meetings, and oversee various water and sewer projects.
    Additionally, the town has hired Mayor James Reid to work as Welch’s assistant. The mayor will earn $15 per hour to work out of town hall one day a week as lawmakers move forward with critical infrastructure projects, such as the replacement of the Leatherwood water storage tank.
    “I'm going to donate that hourly pay to retired firefighters' water bills,” said Reid, who earns $600 per month as mayor.
    Lawmakers also appointed Town Clerk Emily Malin to be chief finance officer in addition to her prior duties. Her pay rate will increase to $20 per hour. State officials are expected to visit town soon to work with Malin on financial matters.
    Welch, Reid and Malin will work in their new positions on an interim basis until the town can find a permanent replacement for Bill Green, who resigned as town administrator on Sept. 4.
    In other town news, lawmakers moved ahead with a plan to pay all town employees bi-weekly, as opposed to on a weekly basis. Officials say reducing the frequency of paychecks will reduce costs associated with payroll. The new pay schedule takes effect Friday.