The Kingston Wage & Personnel Board addressed several critical staffing updates during their Monday evening session, starting with the announcement that the Veterans Director position has successfully transitioned to an employment contract. Human Resources Director Tina Betty informed the board that the role is now a shared position with the town of Duxbury. Additionally, the police department is currently recruiting for a grant-funded family unit co-response counselor. Regarding the ongoing search for an administrative assistant to the Select Board and IT department, Betty noted that while the town received 150 applications, the search remains open. Betty stated, We talked about seven interviews... we likely will pick it up after the new year.

A significant portion of the meeting focused on the struggle to recruit a permanent Building Commissioner. The board discussed how the town’s standard two-week starting vacation policy often deters veteran professionals who have spent decades in other municipalities. To address this, Chair Jim suggested a bylaw change that would grant additional vacation time based on prior municipal service. Jim remarked, What if we looked at adding a week for each seven years of municipal experience to the vacation? He emphasized that such a change would make Kingston more palatable to high-level candidates, noting, It’s an opportunity to say, "Okay, give some flexibility."

The board also reviewed potential bylaw amendments for fiscal year 2027, including the classification of the Public Health Nurse. Although there was previous talk of moving the position to a higher grade, the board decided to maintain the status quo for now. Derek observed that the position has seen high turnover, noting, This position has had to be filled multiple times and I have only had the pleasure of doing it just this once. He later added a cautious perspective on the current recruitment: Expect the worst. Hope for the best. The board ultimately agreed to leave the nurse in Grade 6, pending further budget direction from the Board of Health.

In preparation for the upcoming town report, the board reviewed and finalized their annual summary. Lorraine expressed her satisfaction with the document's quality before moving for its adoption. Motion Made by Lorraine to "approve the report of the wage and personnel board for 2025 as written". Motion Passed 3-0. Lorraine also facilitated the approval of past records, stating, I’m going to move to approve the minutes for November 10, 2025 as written. Motion Passed 3-0. The board also addressed older records as Motion Made by Derek to "approve the minutes from the September 16th meeting as written". Motion Passed 2-0, with Lorraine abstaining as she was not present at that session.