By Shavonne Walker

shavonne.walker@salisburypost.com

EAST SPENCER — Employees of two East Spencer departments will receive a 2 percent cost-of-living increase in salary.

The town board agreed Monday to increase pay for the administrative and public works departments, which together have seven employees.

The public works staff includes three full-time and one part-time employee, whose salaries average $10 to $12 an hour. The administrative department includes the town administrator and two administrative assistants whose salaries range from $10 to $20 an hour.

According to Town Administrator F.E. Isenhour, other departments including police and fire received raises in the budgeting process.

Both the police chief and fire chief requested increases for their staffs to be more competitive with neighboring agencies. Both departments have lost people to bigger agencies.

In other business Monday, the board:

• Declined to consider the purchase of property at West Earnhardt Street for $1 after contact from Durham-based Reinvestment Partners, a company that helps with the disposal of properties that banks have walked away from through the foreclosure process.

The town was approached about buying the property at 114 W. Earnhardt St., near Railroad Avenue, after a foreclosure. If the town had approved the acquisition, the property would have been sold at auction, renovated and resold. No board member made a motion to acquire the property, and the matter was dropped.

• Approved an application for a grant to rehabilitate the sewer system. The board intends to apply for a $2 million Community Development Block Grant to replace and repair outdated sewer lines. The grant would also allow an extension of service to qualifying low- and moderate-income households with failing septic tanks.

Contact reporter Shavonne Walker at 704-797-4253.