Selectmen said a 49 percent raise for Fire Chief Fred Mitchell Jr. is justified because the town "got a great deal" and "a bargain" when it hired him three years ago.
Mitchell, 51, a Rhode Island native, was hired in October 2015 at $63,359 with a contract that boosted his pay annually at 3 percent per year. Mitchell finished the contract in June, earning $67,218 a year.
His new contract that began July 1 pays him $100,000 per year with a 3 percent raise annually for the next three years. That's a raise of $32,782, or 49 percent.
Some Georgetown residents have been speaking out about the size of the pay increase but selectmen defend the deal, saying it brings Mitchell's pay in line with chiefs leading fire departments in similar communities.