Cheshire Board of Selectmen Sets Police Chief Salary Range, Approves Two Summer Hires

CHESHIRE -- May 1, 2026, Cheshire Board of Selectmen sets a $95,000-to-$110,000 salary range for its police chief search and approves two seasonal groundskeepers. The board, meeting Friday with Town Administrator Jennifer Morse, authorized consultant Russ Stephens to begin advertising the chief's position across Massachusetts and three neighboring states, with a full recruitment process expected to take about three months. Stephens also urged the board to fill an existing full-time officer vacancy immediately, citing a "significant service gap" with only one person currently able to perform law enforcement duties; that hire will appear on the next agenda. The board also directed Morse to obtain a combined structural and geotechnical engineering proposal from Hill Engineering for the fire station's recurring foundation-settling problem, after a second firm, Scalise, declined to offer geotechnical services and referred the town elsewhere. Summer paving bids for Fred Mason Road, Reservoir Road, Church Street, and Main Street are due May 12, with Chapter 90 funding already approved. The meeting was the last for board member Jason Levesque, who did not seek re-election.