Greg Pachico formally accepted the job of West Tisbury’s first full-time fire chief, after the select board offered him a $120,000 salary during Wednesday night’s regular board meeting on Zoom.

The salary discussion had been scheduled for executive session, but board chairman Skipper Manter objected to excluding the public.

“They should be able to listen to our deliberations,” Mr. Manter said. Board members Kent Healy and Cynthia Mitchell quickly agreed to remain in open session.

The top pay available for the position, according to the budget prepared by retiring chief Manny Estrella 3rd, is $120,000, Mr. Manter said.

“Do we think this is an appropriate amount or do we think there should be some other offer?” Mr. Manter asked his fellow board members.

“I don’t think it’s out of line in this day and age,” he added, citing the chief’s responsibilities such as equipment and building maintenance, volunteer management and the need to cover the town’s large area.

Ms. Mitchell and Mr. Healy also backed offering the top salary to Mr. Pachico, hitherto the fire department’s deputy chief and a butcher at Cronig’s Markets.

“For a full-time fire chief in 2022 who has the experience that Greg brings to it as deputy, it seems entirely reasonable to me,” Ms. Mitchell said.

The board also reviewed a spreadsheet of full-time fire chief salaries for other towns in the Cape and Islands, ranging from $105,536 in Truro to $186,083 in Yarmouth.

Attending Wednesday’s meeting, Mr. Pachico accepted the $120,000 offer on the spot.

“You’re a tough negotiator,” Mr. Manter joked.

His last day at Cronig’s will be before the end of June, Mr. Pachico told the board, and he plans to spend time shadowing Mr. Estrella at work before the current chief retires June 30.

“I pretty much know the job, except the town hall part,” Mr. Pachico said, referring to the chief’s permitting, budgeting and procurement duties.

“That, we can help you with,” town administrator Jen Rand said. “We’re all standing by to help you.”

Also Wednesday, Ms. Rand updated the board on the effort by Massachusetts municipalities to permanently change the state’s open meeting law in order to allow remote participation in government meetings that also take place physically.

“My hope is that eventually we’re going to have a format that allows for both in person and Zoom concurrently for every meeting,” Ms. Rand said.

Gov. Charlie Baker this week extended until September the pandemic provisions allowing government meetings to take place online. But Ms. Rand said what town administrators throughout the commonwealth want is a new set of parameters for running public meetings.

“The legislation filed yesterday only extends what is in place right now,” she said. “What it doesn’t do is address the future and forever status of what constitutes a properly held public meeting.”

The governor’s extension is meant to give state legislators time to craft new laws, she said.

“I fully anticipate that by the end of the summer we have a new open meeting law that is different from anything we’ve ever had before,” Ms. Rand.

Meanwhile, she told the board the town is investing in new electronic equipment to link remote and live meeting participants.

“We will have the technology to create hybrid meetings,” Ms. Rand said.

Wednesday’s meeting began, at Mr. Manter’s request, with a moment of quiet reflection in memory of two West Tisbury residents who recently died: Maureen Healy, Mr. Healy’s wife and the town’s former executive secretary, and musician and author Heidi Schultz.