T o w n o f C h i l m a r k P e r s o n n e l B o a r d
Approved October 2, 2008
M i n u t e s
Thursday, September 25th, 2008
Chilmark Town Hall
8:05 am
Present: Richard Williams (Chair), Jennie Greene, Susan Heilbron, Stephen Lewenberg, Max McCreery , Polly McDowell (Staff Liaison)
Also Present: J.B. Riggs Parker (Selectman), Warren Doty (Selectman), Tim Carroll (Executive Secretary), Lenny Jason (Building Inspector), Marina Lent (Personnel Board Secretary)
Personnel Board Chairman Richard Williams welcomed Selectmen J.B. Riggs Parker and Warren Doty to the meeting of the Personnel Board, and thanked the Board of Selectmen (BOS) for attending. The Personnel Board had requested to meet with theSelectmen in order to brief them on current efforts to revise Chilmark’s Personnel Bylaw. Richard Williams emphasized that strong support and backing from the BOS would be crucial in bringing the revised bylaws to Town Meeting.
The Personnel Board is trying to create a performance appraisal system that will be a positive, forward-looking and effective tool to improve the performance of the staff. He emphasized that, in a properly functioning system, all employees must be supervised. Ultimately, the supervision of employees at the top rests with the Selectmen. Thus it is critical not only that Selectmen are supportive of having a sound appraisal system, but that they are in fact prepared to carry it out.
Another question is whether “merit pay” salary increases should be linked to a formal system of performance appraisal. Current Chilmark Personnel Bylaws call for such a linkage, however, we operate with automatic pay step increases, and people under disciplinary action get the same pay increase as the most exemplary employee. So our law does not fit our practice.
Personnel administration is complicated by the municipal structure whereby some employees are elected, some appointed, some work on a volunteer basis, and some work for entities which are governed by multiple towns or levels of government. So it is not even completely clear to whom this Bylaw should apply.
Selectman Warren Doty stated that he had viewed the annual step increases as a form of longevity pay. Unlike some private sector jobs, municipal jobs do not come with bonuses or other such benefits, but they do have job security and salary step increases. A merit-increase system would be a significant change. He was not fundamentally opposed to a merit-based pay increase system, and noted that it does seem wrong for someone on probation to get a step increase.
Regarding job security, Stephen Lewenberg elaborated on the goal of the Personnel Board to create a system in which employees’ jobs can be assumed to be secure when they are performing well; the system should also be geared to helping employees to improve their performance on an ongoing basis.
Richard Williams asked the Selectmen whether there should be linkage between an employee’s performance evaluation and his/her annual reappointment. Selectman Warren Doty replied that better use should be made of performance evaluations in the reappointment process.
Executive Secretary Tim Carroll described the situation of one employee who is responsible to three different Boards, whose directives may in fact conflict with one another. Richard Williams noted that the position of the Executive Secretary needs the full backing of the Board of Selectmen in order to effectively manage potential conflicting directives. He also noted that the entire town staff is ultimately answerable to the BOS, and everybody on the chart must be supervised by somebody. He asked the Selectmen whether that is in fact feasible.
Selectman Riggs Parker described a problem with supervision in our system: the diversity of reporting lines means that staff can be sent in different directions by different people, and then can pick and choose where to go. In a sense, the employees are running the show. The only way to redirect this is to require supervision from the top down.
Selectman Warren Doty noted how difficult it is for those in a supervisory position, such as elected chairs of boards or committees, when faced with immediate and pressing demands on their time in what is essentially a volunteer capacity, to keep up with matters such as performance appraisals. In a way, the reason why an employee runs the show is because the Chair wants him/her to. The Chair will depend on the employee to keep things going, and will come in to chair the meetings.
Susan Heilbron suggested that staggering evaluations throughout the year might help to make the process a less daunting burden.
Richard Williams reviewed the diverse management structures of the town, with some bodies arguably outside of the reach of Chilmark’s Personnel Bylaw. He noted that the Library had just completed a hire without any reference to the town’s procedures. This makes Town Hall no more than a rubber stamp. It needs to be generally agreed and accepted by all bodies involved in the town that if they are administering resources of the Town of Chilmark, they agree to be bound by Chilmark’s Personnel Bylaw.
Building Inspector Lenny Jason asked why it is desirable to have people involved in the hiring process who are not familiar with the demands of the job for which the person is being hired. Selectman Riggs Parker clarified that such people are experienced in hiring processes and well-versed in Town Bylaws and can contribute to a successful hire.
Richard Williams thanked Selectman Warren Doty, who had to leave at this point, for a constructive and helpful discussion, and noted that there are more issues which the Personnel Board could usefully discuss with the BOS. Selectman Doty noted that the Town should not aim to be run on a “business model” because it is not a business: it is a municipality. The Town Meeting is the legislative branch, and the Selectmen are the executive branch.
Selectman Riggs Parker pointed out that much of the frustration expressed by the Personnel Board stems from trying to impose order with laws that are in conflict. Since a solution cannot be imposed by law, there needs to be cooperation among the different “turfs”.
Staff Liaison Polly McDowell pointed out that it is difficult for employees to be properly evaluated by the chairs of boards or committees which they serve, when these chairs are not present to observe their day-to-day work. Supervision should be carried out in a cooperative manner by someone within the Town Hall able to assess the functioning of that employee as a member of Town Hall staff. Selectman Parker pointed out the difference between serving a particular board or committee, and being supervised: there can be only one administrative supervisor, even when a person serves multiple bodies. That supervisor needs to recognize and accommodate the multiplicity of responsibilities of the person being supervised.
The Board suggested that Building Inspector Lenny Jason could use a simple recommendation form to indicate that he has evaluated the inspectors he is recommending to the BOS for appointment. Lenny Jason indicated that this would be an appropriate procedure. He noted that, in Edgartown, employees came before the Board of Selectmen and were evaluated in a public forum.
Regarding direct evaluation and supervision of employees by members of the Board of Selectmen, Riggs Parker noted that he is in a position to supervise and evaluate employees, such as Tim Carroll, whom he works with directly. He could not usefully evaluate employees whose work is unfamiliar to him. It is only recently that the BOS has recognized its responsibility for setting and enforcing employee standards. Members asked by what means the BOS gets input on employee performance from Department heads. Selectman Parker emphasized that the most useful input is not contained in a formal report, but is ongoing.
Executive Secretary Tim Carroll stated that while it is important to be flexible enough to recognize that there is no “one form” that will fit all Departments, or even all positions within a department, the principle remains that all employees of the Town of Chilmark should be subject to fair and equitable supervision and evaluation. This principle is what matters. He further suggested that the Personnel Board write a memo to all Department heads, outlining the procedure for staff evaluation which the Board wishes to see followed. Staff Liaison Polly McDowell noted that such a communication could allow for a Department-customized format for the evaluations, pending finalization by the Personnel Board of a comprehensive Town evaluation process.
Selectman Parker suggested that the memo state that input from Department heads on the development of an employee appraisal process would be appreciated, which would help to draw them into the process. He also felt that it would be very useful for members of the BOS to communicate regularly and informally with Department heads on these matters, as this practice would do much to establish the kind of cooperation we are looking for.
Executive Secretary Tim Carroll offered to put together an initial draft of such a memo, and to send a copy to Personnel Board members. He cautioned that on-line discussion of a draft memo is not acceptable under the Open Meeting Law, but that members could send comments on the draft to a single, designated person in preparation for the next meeting of the Personnel Board. It was decided that Stephen Lewenberg would be the person designated to receive comments from members of the board on the draft memo to department heads.
Richard Williams agreed to speak to Selectman Frank Fenner, who had been unable to attend this meeting.
Selectman Riggs Parker agreed to speak to Library Trustee Janet Wiedner about ways in which the Library could work with the Town and Personnel Board in future.
Minutes of July 21st, 2008 were amended and unanimously adopted by members present at that meeting. Minutes of September 11, 2008 were unanimously adopted.
Executive Secretary Tim Carroll pointed out that the Personnel Board needs to take steps to formalize the employment status of their Secretary, who had been hired as a temporary employee. According to Chilmark Personnel Bylaws, past a certain time-frame for an “emergency hire”, a position must be advertised. Accordingly, Chairman Richard Williams asked Executive Secretary Tim Carroll to communicate to the BOS that the Board wishes to advertise for the position, with the notation that there is an inside candidate.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:48am.
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