Hanson Select Board Fills IT Director Post, Approves Fee Hikes and Override Website

HANSON — January 14, 2025 — Hanson Select Board fills six vacancies and approves ambulance fee hikes at first 2025 meeting. The board unanimously appointed Steven Burke as Information Technology director — a post vacant since April — after a formal search in which Planning Board Chair Joseph Campbell called Burke's qualifications "my highest recommendation." The board also appointed Kyle Cromby as a full-time police officer effective tentatively February 3, Elise Dagel to the Conservation Commission, and Kevin Amato as a Zoning Board of Appeals associate member. Ambulance rates rose across all categories — Basic Life Support up $200, Advanced Life Support Level 2 up $500, and mileage from $33 to $40 per mile — while smoke detector inspection fees will climb from $30 to $50 effective February 3. In a divided but ultimately unanimous vote, the board authorized a $9,000 ARPA-funded contract with John Gilfoyle Public Relations to build a public website presenting budget and potential override information ahead of a May town meeting, with one member approving only "very reluctantly" and insisting the town retain all underlying data.