Personnel Board approves firefighter vacation carryovers without six-month cap

WAYLAND — May 20, 2026 — Wayland Personnel Board approves firefighter vacation carryovers and reworks harassment policy. The board voted 4-0 Tuesday to approve carryover requests under the IAFF Local 1978 contract without the six-month use deadline imposed in past years, after HR Director Kate Ryan said all requests fell within the two-week practice of "four days and four nights." Fire Chief Neil McPherson, appearing remotely, said the carryovers were not driven by staffing gaps: "This is not because we were not able to cover their shifts." Members re-elected Maryanne Peabody as chair for a six-month term and voted 3-0, with Mary Ellen Castagno abstaining, to revise Personnel Policy A2-5.1 after Paul Morenberg pushed to broaden hostile-work-environment language and tighten the quid pro quo definition. Chief McPherson will present the 107-page Fire Staffing Study on June 24.