Little Compton Council Splits Over $180K Annualized Rate for Part-Time Interim Finance Director

The Little Compton Town Council voted July 9 to approve a one-year contract for its interim finance director, after a councilor publicly questioned why a 20-hour-a-week position carries a pay rate equivalent to $180,000 a year, according to the town council's published meeting recording.

The contract, running through June 30, 2027, sets the interim finance director's pay at $90,000 for 20 hours of work per week. During discussion, a councilor did the math out loud: doubling that half-time salary to a standard 40-hour week would put the position's annualized rate at $180,000. "So then it's $180,000 a year," the councilor said, adding, "I mean I think John's done a wonderful job... but we also got two chiefs that make 105,000. We just hired an IT guy for 110,000."

The councilor said the comparison mattered given "the fiscal situation we're in right now," and questioned how other town employees would view a half-time contractor earning close to what full-time department heads make. The council did not name a specific dollar figure for the town's broader budget picture during this discussion, but the councilor's remarks referenced ongoing financial pressure without elaborating further.

Another council member defended the arrangement, saying the interim finance director works considerably more than the contracted 20 hours despite what the paperwork states. That council member also relayed secondhand praise from a separate meeting earlier the same day, saying a police chief who was on a video call with the finance director had said, in the council member's words, "don't ever let this guy go." No one at the July 9 meeting disputed that the finance director's work has been well-regarded; the disagreement centered specifically on how the part-time hourly structure translates into an annualized figure.

After that exchange, the council moved to a vote on the motion to approve the contract as presented. The motion passed by voice vote, but one council member abstained rather than vote yes or no, splitting the council's response even though the measure carried. The abstaining member did not offer further explanation for declining to vote either way.

The vote finalizes the interim finance director's compensation and contract term for the coming fiscal year; the council took no action to revisit or restructure the pay rate, and no further hearing or review of the arrangement was scheduled during the meeting. Residents with questions about the town's finance department staffing or budget can review the meeting packet and future agendas through the town clerk's office.