Acushnet Board of Selectmen hires lateral transfer officer, advances sewer and water contracts

ACUSHNET -- January 7, 2026, Acushnet Board of Selectmen approves lateral police transfer, sewer extension, and water department backup vendor. The board unanimously appointed Officer Justin Mello, a lateral transfer from Rochester with one year of service, under a memorandum of understanding with Teamsters Union Local 59, with Police Chief Garth Copper telling the board that hiring a new recruit costs the town approximately $75,000 before a first shift compared to a lateral hire. The board also approved a sewer extension plan for 9 Taber Street and 10 Lambert Street, authorizing the connection while deferring a final fee determination as town counsel reviews whether a prior developer's roughly $12,500 betterment payment affects new applicants under the town's revised sewer by-law. The board appointed Matt Golda to replace 12-year water department employee Eric Abreu, who resigned effective January 9, and voted to engage MP Water Systems Management as a backup water licensing vendor. Gaspar flagged a civil service requirement that the town hire one officer from the civil service list for every lateral transfer, and recommended the upcoming budget include two to three additional officer positions to address projected attrition of up to six to seven officers over five years.