Berlin Select Board Approves Interim TA Charge, Carnival Permit, and Polling Location Move

BERLIN -- March 2, 2026, Berlin Select Board approves interim administrator charge and advances town administrator search on a busy Monday night. The board unanimously approved a "stabilizer" charge for interim Town Administrator Jeffrey Donahue, introduced at the meeting on his first formal day, giving him authority beyond routine caretaking to advance capital projects and procurement, with members acknowledging his nominal 22-hour-per-week contract may need to flex higher. The board also set a $150,000-to-$175,000 salary range for the permanent TA search, consistent with what outgoing administrator Kristen was paid. In other unanimous votes, the board approved a Fiesta Shows carnival permit for Solomon Pond Mall from April 9 to April 19, signed a memorandum of understanding moving the town's polling location to Berlin Memorial School beginning with the September state primary, and backed Capital Planning Committee recommendations that funnel roughly $300,000 to $350,000 in remaining free cash into the capital stabilization fund. A cable consultant reported that Charter Communications has agreed in draft to raise annual franchise fee payments to the federal maximum of 5 percent of gross revenues, up from $38,782 in 2025, and to add a third local access channel, with a public hearing tentatively set for April 27 ahead of the May 14 license expiration.