By ADAM ATKINSON

CANTON -- The town board has set a $35,000-$47,000 salary range for a new code enforcement officer, who has yet to be hired.

The town is currently contracting with Mike McQuade to serve as interim code enforcer at a rate of $50 per hour.

McQuade, the code enforcement officer for the town of Gouverneur, has worked in that capacity for the town since former town code enforcement officer Russell “Rusty” Lawrence resigned his position with Canton Oct. 6 to work in a similar capacity for the town of Oswegatchie.

At the town’s reorganizational meeting Jan. 3, new Town Supervisor Mary Ann Ashley announced that the county’s Human Resources and Civil Service Administration had reviewed the results of its Civil Service examination held in September and had a list of three potential applicants for the position.

The position is a Civil Service job and as such, applicants are obligated to take a Civil Service examination.

The town was not able to have access to the list to begin canvassing the applicants for a likely candidate until the town board set a specific salary range.

An annual maximum salary of $47,146 is accounted for in the town’s 2018 budget for the code enforcement position.

At the Jan. 3 meeting the board also decided to craft an actual written contract for McQuade’s services in the interim. No written contract had been developed previously.