Four months after laying off the superintendent of the Water Pollution Control Facility due to budgetary concerns, the town is searching for a director of the facility.

Town Administrator Mark Andrews said the position of director is "separate" and "totally different" from the position of superintendent. The director will be responsible for the "professional, administrative, technical, and supervisory work related to the complete and overall operation" of the Sewer Department's business office, according to the job posting.

Town officials have been "evaluating the operational expenses," and taking measures to cut costs in the operations of the sewer plant since writing the budget in May, Andrews said, which will help fund the position.

Former Water Pollution Control Facility Superintendent David Simmons earned $77,544 in fiscal year 2009. Neither Andrews nor the job posting indicated how much the position of Water Pollution Control Facility Director would pay.

The Sewer Department, unlike other town departments, is not funded by property taxes but, instead, by fees collected from sewer users. Sewer fees are set by Selectmen (in their role as Sewer Commissioners) based on the cost of running the system. The Board of Selectmen voted last February to conduct an audit of the sewer account to get a better understanding of funds coming in and going out of the department.

Simmons was laid off April 1. In a March 9 letter addressed to the United Steelworkers Union, which represents Simmons, Andrews indicated that the layoff was "an effort to reduce the current gap in the [Sewer Department] budget."

The United Steelworkers filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Division of Labor Relations following Simmons' layoff. The union alleged that the town discriminated against Simmons because he supported getting the union involved in representing town department heads. It also alleged that the town failed to bargain in good faith with the union by failing to give notice and opportunity to negotiate prior to implementing a layoff. The case is ongoing.

Following his layoff, Simmons found he was eligible for retirement, which took effect on April 30. Because Wareham was the last place he worked, the town will continue to pay into his retirement and will pay 75-percent of his health insurance until he is 65 years old. Andrews stressed that that contribution is not a benefit provided specifically to Simmons, but is indicative of collective bargaining agreements and the town's personnel plan.

Andrews said he posted the position at the recommendation of Municipal Maintenance Director Mark Gifford, who oversees the facility. The town is accepting applications until Friday, Sept. 17.