The Northfield municipal building on Aug. 1, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Northfield started the year with some key interim hires and signed an agreement with Montpelier for police coverage in the small Washington County town of about 5,900. Steven Mackenzie, an engineer and former c ity manager in Barre, came out of retirement this month to serve as the interim town manager on a part-time basis.  Introduced at a Jan. 13 selectboard meeting, Mackenzie said he learned about the vacancy from the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and decided to apply. READ MORE “Long story short, I thought that I could provide a service to the town,” he said at the meeting.  Although public service “can be challenging at times,” Mackenzie said he enjoyed it. “I feel very comfortable dealing with the public. I can’t solve everybody’s problems but I guarantee you that I basically have an open door policy,” he said. Jeff Schulz, former longtime town manager, was set to retire in March but was removed from the position in December while he was on leave. Details of the severance agreement signed by the selectboard on Dec. 17 have not been released. Selectboard Chair Charlie Morse called him “a welcome asset” at a meeting earlier this month and selectboard member Lydia Petty called for residents to support him. Mackenzie did not immediately respond to a request for comment and his salary information was not available Tuesday. One of his first tasks is to find a replacement for Laurie Baroffio, the town’s former financial director who resigned last year but is working part-time as a consultant until the position is filled.  Baroffio is helping the selectboard draft the fiscal year 2026-27 municipal budget that will be presented to voters for approval on Town Meeting Day on March 3. The town has also contracted with Kevin Moulton, the deputy police chief in Montpelier, as the interim police chief, effective Jan. 14, for an hourly rate of $73.54 plus expenses, according to the agreement. He will remain a Montpelier employee, will use a Montpelier police car and wear the city police uniform. “He is a respected leader with extensive experience, and his role will help ensure continuity, stability, and professional oversight during this transition period,” Eric Nordenson, the police chief in Montpelier, wrote in an email Tuesday. The four-month intermunicipal police agreement signed on Jan. 14 runs until May 1 but “can be extended by mutual consent to allow for a smooth transition to a full-time appointed Chief of Police” in Northfield. During this time, Montpelier, Berlin and the Washington County Sheriff’s Department will assist with policing needs in town on a contract basis, “to ensure continuity of operations and adequate coverage,” according to the letter and agreement shared by Nordenson. The Montpelier Police Department “fully supports the intermunicipal police agreement” with Northfield, Nordenson said in an email. “This partnership reflects a shared commitment to regional collaboration, efficient use of resources, and maintaining high-quality public safety services for our communities.” Moulton’s appointment comes after former Police Chief Pierre Gomez resigned in October. One of three police chiefs of color in Vermont, Gomez reported facing racial harassment since he moved to town two years ago. Mackenzie announced the new police contract on the town website on Monday. “In addition to providing leadership to the existing department staff and responding to calls for service in a timely and effective manner, Chief Moulton, working with Montpelier Chief Nordenson, will collaborate with the Vermont State Police and other central Vermont police departments to provide full-time police coverage,” the post reads. The selectboard may discuss “legal/personnel/contracts” in executive session at a special meeting scheduled Tuesday night, according to the posted agenda.  Another special meeting scheduled for Wednesday may discuss the town manager search, possibly in executive session. Read the story on VTDigger here: Northfield fills key vacancies with interim hires, signs agreement for police coverage. ...read more read less