Baystate Municipal Accounting Group, the firm currently filling the role of town accountant, will continue its work until this fiscal year wraps up on June 30, 2012.

The Board of Selectmen Tuesday voted to allow Town Administrator Mark Andrews to enter into a six-month contract with the firm, which is headed by Justin Cole. The firm was hired in November after the town twice failed to attract what officials considered suitable individual applicants after posting the job. The town's current contract with the firm ends on December 31.

The town had been without a town accountant since April when former Town Accountant Elizabeth Zaleski was fired after a draft financial audit revealed a $919,000 discrepancy in the town's books. After appealing the dismissal and reaching a $42,500 settlement agreement, Zaleski was reinstated but agreed to immediately resign her post.

In addition to Baystate, Waltham-based Accounting Management Solutions, Inc. responded to a "request for qualifications" from the town.

Accounting Management Solutions' quoted price was approximately $41,000 above what Baystate quoted, said Derek Sullivan, the town's financial analyst. The total price quoted by each could not immediately be confirmed.

Sullivan compared both firms and, in addition to being less expensive, Baystate was "ahead by one point" in its qualifications, he said. Among the things Sullivan looked at was the number of years each firm has been working with the town's accounting software and the number of years of experience in municipal accounting.

Baystate Municipal Accounting Group was praised by independent auditor Powers and Sullivan and town officials last week for its role in helping to get the town accountant's office in order.

"Continuity and moving forward is at the forefront of my mind," said Andrews in asking the Board of Selectmen to support the new contract.

Andrews said Baystate will be required as part of its new contract to resolve the "material weaknesses" in the town's accounting procedures as cited by Powers and Sullivan.

Though the contract covers the next six months, Andrews, responding to questions about whether the town would hire a permanent accountant at all this fiscal year, noted that the town can back out of the contract at any time by giving 30 days notice.

The time period for requests from firms ended at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, so the Selectmen were seeing and hearing the information for the first time Tuesday evening. Selectman Cara Winslow was frustrated by that.

“I want to be able to look at the information and have time to formulate intelligent questions and look into anything that I think needs to be looked into prior to making a decision," Winslow said. “We don't know what was in the responses. We don't know what we're buying the town."

Selectman Steve Holmes said that though he recognized the need for an immediate vote because the Selectmen will not meet again before Baystate's current contract ends, he wanted to review the contract with town attorneys.

The first contract the town received was "quite a sham for the town," said Holmes, who had reviewed that contract with town attorney Rich Bowen and made changes before the town signed off on the document.

The Board of Selectmen approved the new contract 4-1-0, with Winslow the opposing vote.

In other town business:

After much discussion, the Board of Selectmen decided to ask the School Committee to participate in a joint meeting to discuss the School Department's ongoing need for new school buses. The Selectmen proposed holding a meeting at 6 p.m. on January 18, an hour before a scheduled public hearing on the school budget. If the School Committee agrees, the meeting will be held in the Wareham Middle School auditorium.

A public hearing regarding proposed renovations to the Stonebridge Bistro in Onset sparked a lengthy conversation, with concerns voiced about parking spaces and increased noise. The restaurant has not yet received building permits. It must ultimately receive approval from the Board of Selectmen for any changes affecting its liquor license. Owner Justin Hadley plans to remodel the bar area of the restaurant and add a deck with seating for 50 people. The public hearing will continue in March.

Town Administrator Mark Andrews and Police Chief Richard Stanley announced that AAA awarded the Wareham Police Department a bronze medal for traffic safety.