DALTON, Mass.—The Select Board voted to refer its budget to the finance committee after initially motioning to freeze its stipend. 

Select Board member Marc Strout motioned that the board maintain its stipend rates from last year rather than approving the proposed 2 percent stipend increase. 

The board also voted last year not to receive an increase in their stipends. Select Board member John Boyle was absent during that meeting because he had the coronavirus. 

During the meeting on Monday, Boyle expressed his surprise last year by the board's decision.

Boyle highlighted how last year, Select Board Vice Chairman Daniel Esko recommended the board table the discussion until Boyle was present; however, despite this recommendation, the board voted to freeze its stipend increase. 

Select Board chair Bob Bishop motioned to refer the budget to finance with the recommendation of freezing the stipend increase. The motion failed with Bishop and Strout voting in favor and Boyle and Esko voting against.  

With last year's decision, the board took away the opportunity for other board members to accept the increase if they wanted to, Boyle said. 

If a board member did not wish to accept the increase, they could go to the town treasures office to say so. It does not require a vote, he said. 

"You don't have to make a motion like you did last year to speak for someone else, namely me. I'm very resentful of that," he said. 

Esko said that although he would not mind not taking the salary increase, he does not want to take the option away from any other board members. 

"The reason I did that is…I don't want to take [Boyle's] or any members' opportunity to get the increase if they want to do it," Esko said. 

"Personally, I could refuse to take the increase. I don't think it requires a board vote, necessarily." 

The vote to freeze the stipend increase is going against the procedure of referring the salary portion of the Select Board budget to the finance committee in an effort to avoid ethics violations, Boyle said.