Selectmen gave town counsel a raise, and agreed to keep him for another year in the process.

On Tuesday, Selectmen voted to reappoint Attorney Richard Bowen as Wareham’s town counsel for 2016-17 while awarding him a $5,000 annual raise.

Bowen previously earned a flat fee of $15,000 per month.

Town Administrator Derek Sullivan said Bowen is an asset to the town and is easy to work with.

“I recommend we hire Richard Bowen,” said Sullivan. He noted that Bowen was due for a raise after not receiving one for the past five years. “If you vote affirmative, I will have it earmarked in the (Fiscal Year 2016) budget.”

Bowen, who is from Scituate, said he was eager to continue working in Wareham.

“When I say it’s my second home, I mean that,” said Bowen. “I take a lot of pride in the town and feel as though we’ve come a long way. I’d like to continue down that pathway.”

Selectman Judith Whiteside reaffirmed Sullivan’s support of Bowen.

“I think it’s great we have you inside the building,” said Whiteside.

Selectmen reappoint Town Counsel yearly. Bowen’s current term ends April 1 and his next lasts until March 31, 2017.

“We’re just getting it ahead of time here,” said Selectman Patrick Tropeano, adding the board wanted to give extra time to all parties involved in case Bowen or the town decided to move on.

Selectmen voted unanimously to reappoint Bowen.

Bowen has done legal work for Wareham since 1989, and he has been lead counsel since 2007. He worked for Kopelman and Page before leaving to join Blatman, Bobrowski & Mead.