Date of Meeting: Monday, June 22, 2009
Location: Town Hall, 221 Main Street
Time: 6:30 PM – 8:25 PM
Members Present: Chairman James Stanton; Roger Deal; Ken Sydow
Others Present: Nancy Colbert, Town Administrator; Lori Esposito, Administrative Assistant; Personnel Board: Dick Prince, Leo Tivnan and Larri Parker
Personnel Board was invited to meet with the Board of Selectmen to discuss their function.
Mrs. Colbert Puff handed out the Town Personnel Plan and Bylaw that outlines duties and responsibilities of the Personnel Board.
· Dick Prince said there is no personnel plan. There was a draft manual left with Sue Olsen and Attorney Greg Angelini; it is still in “limbo.” Mrs. Colbert Puff said she has been using an old employee handbook as the rule.
· Mr. Prince said the intent was to take an excerpt from the new Personnel Plan and create a new employee manual; it didn’t go any further. He suggests someone from the outside look at it and edit/rewrite, as necessary. It’s over three years old now.
· Jim Stanton said Kim Rozak in the Labor Department at Mirick O’Connell would review it regarding salary review, wage recommendations, etc.
· Mr. Prince said the Personnel Board also normally met with the Finance Committee prior to Annual Town Meeting, but they didn’t hear from anyone this year.
Jim said the Board did a lot of the budget work with Interim Town Administrator Joe Connelly earlier than usual this year, so the Finance Committee didn’t have their usual meetings, as in past budget years. Mr. Prince said communications dropped off prior to that and the Personnel Board became frustrated. Ken Sydow explained that Joe Connelly (Interim Town Administrator) came in when there were several priorities to juggle; he never was able to get going on day-to-day issues. Nancy is here and getting going now.
· Dick said the personnel records were overhauled and filed properly a few years ago. An audit was done by AIM. Former Town Administrator Sue Olsen had some concern that they had violated policy by meeting with the AIM representative individually. She came in and John and Dick met with her just to see if her organization would be capable of doing the work. Sue felt they violated the bid process due to that. Regardless, the report was somewhat dismissed; there was some strong language, specifically citing liability issues.
· Larri Parker also recommended that the grading process be revamped and simplified.
Dick said the Board uses the grade system to fairly grade the job description and not the person.
· Roger Deal said we need to clarify the authority and responsibility of the Personnel Board. Dick responded that the Board has no authority; they operate strictly in an advisory capacity. Roger said the Board certainly has authorized responsibilities, such as clarifying job descriptions and meeting with department heads. Also noted in the Personnel Plan, some points need to be clarified,-- just housekeeping issues (e.g., “….Personnel Board shall make its recommendation….” To whom?). Also, once this plan/policy is complete it should be distributed to employees and explained as necessary. Forget the past. We need to sit down and clarify how we can work together on a positive basis. There is
also an element of oversight that is needed to guide employees.
· Dick agrees with Roger. The Personnel Board previously proposed a list of items that should be reviewed by an outside source and the Personnel Plan is one of them. Regarding employees, there is a State Personnel Manual that outlines the responsibilities of a Personnel Board; we could adopt some parts or all of it.
· Mr. Deal said the only way to function is to clarify duties. Job descriptions should be reviewed from this point forward; there needs to be uniformity.
· Ms. Parker said it appears that the Board is just looking for grading and salary recommendations. Nancy Colbert Puff said that is part of what is outlined in the bylaw. Jim Stanton said that’s what the current plan says; we need to decide what needs to be done and change/incorporate accordingly.
· Mr. Sydow said the Personnel Board existed long before the Town Administrator position. The Town Administrator is on the “firing line” every day. The Personnel Board is absolutely necessary, but he sees them responsible for very specific duties such as:
o Draft a personnel plan/manual
o Update plan/manual regularly
o Evaluate results of AIM study
o Update all job descriptions
o Rewrite Bylaw of agreed responsibilities, keeping in mind the State Bylaw
o Come to an agreement on how to work together in the future
· Ms. Parker: We have tried to be proactive, e.g., the search for a Town Administrator, but we were not included. Also, we wanted to look at health insurance cost/contributions by employees, but we were not acknowledged.
Roger said it never occurred to him to consult with the Personnel Board in the Town Administrator hiring.
· Mr. Prince said the Board of Selectmen needs to designate a Personnel Director (Jim said it is Nancy). The first step is for Nancy to meet with the Personnel Board and update them. There are certain meetings she could attend to assist.
· Ken Sydow said regarding Mirick O’Connell reviewing it, we don’t have a lot of money to spend but Nancy could do the initial work and Mirick O’Connell could do the final review.
· Mr. Prince said the Personnel Board has the background to assist with things such as insurance, contracts, etc. They can get involved with only the things the Board of Selectmen wants them to be involved with; not with others.
· Roger Deal would like to establish a timeline.
· Mrs. Colbert Puff has been meeting with other Town Administrators and Managers; a Personnel Board is whatever fits the Town. She sees herself as a liaison between the Personnel Board and the Board of Selectmen.
· Mrs.Colbert Puff will put a timeline together with input from the Personnel Board to meet with them to review the Personnel Plan and have something prepared prior to the full Town Meeting. She will present the timeline to the Selectmen when complete.
Assessors’ Office Staff 3% retroactive pay:
· Roger asked about the retroactive pay increase that Margo Richardson and Mary Morrill took in a lump sum last pay period.
· Nancy said she spoke with Dan Haynes (Town Accountant). He will look into it, but it might be a law that pay needs to be taken when worked, not accrued. The Board of Selectmen signs off on time sheets. The only way to stop an overage is to tell them not to work for the balance of the fiscal year. Another option is, going forward, put them both on salary, not hourly. Nancy will discuss with Dan and come back to the Board with his recommendation.
Town-Owned Property:
· Nancy has 12 properties to be considered for auction. Will present at July meeting.
Retirement of Town Treasurer:
· Jim asked if an audit should be done before Ellen leaves. It would protect her as well as the incoming Treasurer.
· Nancy said four or five applications have been received to date. One is a current Treasurer; one is an Assistant Treasurer; one is the previous Assistant Treasurer and one is non-municipal. She met with Brian McDermott regarding John Roy. Mr. McDermott is not optimistic, since John has three school districts to manage, but they will let her know. Leon Gaumond (West Boylston Town Administrator) is talking to his staff about a possibility.
Meeting Minutes:
· Motion was made to approve the minutes with typo corrections and adding “lump sum payments cannot be withheld” on Assessor’s retroactive pay discussion. Motion seconded, voted All in Favor.
Building Inspector:
· Ken Sydow said he has concerns regarding what the Board discusses in front of the press regarding employees (specifically, the Building Inspector). Whether we reduce a position to part time, due to feedback responses from Nancy, etc. or keep as full time, we need to be cautious of targeting the employee versus the position.
· Roger said he is not recommending termination, he just feels the position itself does not justify a full-time employee. He is convinced that the job is not needed on a full-time basis; this is the standpoint he has consistently maintained.
· Jim Stanton said he is asking Nancy and Mark Bertonassi to get a survey on “satisfaction of inspectional services.” They will be sent out to a random group of people who pulled building permits.
· Roger stated regardless of any survey, he wants to have the Building Inspector’s hours justified. Tax dollars are being spent.
Roger said he feels it’s an urgent situation to determine the necessity of a full-time position; the survey should not impede the process of considering full time versus part time.
Business Marketing Committee:
· Ken Sydow: We don’t have control over Route 140 development, but we do have control over Hillside and the football field. While we don’t want to compete with business on Route 140, we want to be sure we do what’s best for the town with those parcels.
He is concerned about some comments that have been made that the Business Marketing Committee would establish the direction for the Town. It should be under the direction of Nancy with her expertise in the field.
· Roger Deal said he worked with Herb Cronin and feels he clearly understands he is to work with Nancy in an advisory capacity. He also feels the other two volunteers are very clear that they are only to offer their business experience and expertise.
· Jim said he sees Nancy as a consultant and the three committee members as an advisory/sounding board.
Upon a motion made by Ken Sydow and seconded by Roger Deal, and voted All in Favor, the meeting was adjourned at 8:25 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lori Esposito
Administrative Assistant
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