Shrewsbury SELCO Votes to Raise General Manager's Salary 4.8 Percent

SHREWSBURY — May 26, 2026 — Shrewsbury SELCO raises general manager's pay 4.8 percent and braces for a summer rate surcharge as wholesale power costs near record highs. The Shrewsbury Electric Light Commission voted 5-0 Tuesday to increase General Manager Roy's salary to $284,886 annually, effective July 20, 2026, following an executive session evaluation. The board also heard a detailed power supply briefing from Integrated Resources Manager Patrick Collins and Director of Electric Services Becca Heen, who reported that 2025 energy costs came in roughly $4 million over budget — 32 percent above projections — with medium-term grid power hitting $102 per megawatt hour against a budgeted $62. For 2026, January and February actuals are running at approximately $150 per megawatt hour, approaching ISO New England's all-time high of $160 set during the 2014 polar vortex. Staff said the Iran conflict's impact on oil and LNG markets has not yet fully appeared in actuals and a Generation and Transmission Adjustment is "likely needed" for summer, following a GTA already collected November through February and a 14 percent generation charge increase enacted in March. On the demand-side, SELCO reported its heat pump rebate and Connected Homes programs generated a modeled $1.4 million financial return to the utility in 2025, exceeding the roughly $1 million total rebate budget, with Shrewsbury ranking first among MWIC utilities in Connected Homes enrollment and second statewide in EV rebates issued.