Rochester’s Finance Committee Monday reviewed a new Personnel Classification and Compensation Plan for town employees that will be on the May 13 Annual Town Meeting warrant and will add $19,833 to the FY25 budget.
Presenting the results of her committee’s review of the town’s current plan, Personnel Board Chairperson Kristine Nash explained that one of the main goals was to line up job classifications for noncontract employees with Personnel Bylaw-contract employees. She said this review found many problems that need to be rectified.
The review discovered that there were no approved job descriptions for these employees, she said. Pay-grade ranges are not the same for people with like duties and responsibilities. Bylaw language is not being followed regarding step advances. Pay percentages between steps are irregular and unequal. Employee steps one and two are rarely used when hiring new employees. The current plan has not been substantially reviewed in 20 years.
The remedy’s first goal was to develop job descriptions for the 21 noncontract town employees not covered by the Personnel Bylaw, and those new descriptions have been completed and approved, Nash said. The next step is the Personnel Board’s proposals for a new FY25 Classification and Compensation Plan.
That eight-step plan, she said, would declassify all current employees into clearly defined categories and make grade adjustments to bring parity between positions with the same responsibilities and duties.
The plan would eliminate the word “grades” because current ones are more reflective of individual employees than a classification as the bylaw states it. It would add one step because, Nash said, 50 percent of veteran employees covered by these employees are at the maximum step. It would change the bylaw language regarding how an employee gets a step increase and equalize that increase between all steps to 2.5% between each. It would establish a low, middle and high wage-range for positions in a category and wage ranges utilizing FY24 “grade” ranges for all classified positions.
Nash said Finance Director Suzanne Szyndlar has calculated the cost to implement the new plan for FY25 to be $19,833 because it will affect nine “max” employees and the grade adjustments for six employees.
Nash concluded her presentation by noting “the 21 employees in this new plan represent the heart and soul of the town. But because they are ‘non-bylaw’ employees, they don’t feel heard. This will give them their voice.”
In other action, the Finance Committee approved Chairman Kris Stoltenberg’s motion to recommend a FY25 Cost of Living Increase of 2.5%, lower than the 3% amount that the committee had previously approved.
Szyndlar then reported the reason for this change. She said the next fiscal year’s budget currently shows a $55,700 deficit between expenses and revenues.
The town has seen a 3.41% revenue increase, but school-budget request increases are higher. Rochester Memorial School’s request is a 6.63% budget increase. Old Rochester Regional High School’s request is a 4.84% increase, despite the fact the town is sending five fewer students there this fiscal year. Szyndlar said she and Town Administrator Glenn Cannon are planning to meet with school officials to revisit these requests. Stoltenberg said the committee will want to meet with the Highway, Police and Fire departments at its next meeting to discuss their budget requests.
The Rochester Finance Committee is scheduled to meet next on Monday, March 25, at 7:00 pm at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.
Rochester Finance Committee
By Michael J. DeCicco