Wellfleet Personnel Board
Minutes of Meeting of January 9, 2003
Town Hall, 2nd Floor Conference Room
Present: Sue Peters, Chair; Ken Kimball, John Makely, Ira Wood; Rex Peterson, Assistant Town Administrator; Kevin Cahoon, Assistant DPW Director
Excused: Lisa Benson
Chair Peters called the meeting to order at 3:05 p.m. The first item, Becky Rosenberg's request for reconsideration of the evaluation of the Assistant Recreation Director position, had been removed from the agenda; the Board proceeded to the second item.
Request for Consideration of Rewritten Job Descriptions for DPW Working Foreman and Transfer Station Lead Equipment Operator. Kevin Cahoon, Assistant Director of the DPW, attended the meeting to present revisions to the above two job descriptions. Explaining that this was not a request for grade reclassifications, Cahoon told the Board that since the two former occupants of the jobs have recently retired, the department was taking this opportunity to rename and revise the job descriptions before advertising for replacements. Therefore, he requested that the titles change from Work Leader to DPW Working Foreman and from Equipment Operator, Driver, Laborer, Loader to Transfer Station Lead Equipment Operator. With the changes in job descriptions, Cahoon hopes
to upgrade the DPW work force when the jobs are filled and, in the case of the working foreman, to provide someone who can take over some of the jobs that Cahoon is now doing and be able to substitute for him during vacations, etc.
Cahoon noted that changes to the Working Foreman descriptions include the addition of a CDL Class A driver's license, which would relieve the mechanic of this sole responsibility, and the ability to supervise a work crew, which would make the use of two crews at the same time possible.
Chair Peters commended the well-worded job descriptions and asked, since they had been upgraded, if the pay scale would allow DPW to hire someone with these skills. Cahoon replied that the pay of the former work leader had been at $17.60/hour; he anticipated that (if it were an outside hire and not a current DPW employee) the replacement's salary would start at $16.50/hour and save the town $2100/year. He added that the grades for the positions were Grade 8 for the proposed DPW Working Foreman and Grade 7 for the proposed Transfer Station Lead Equipment Operator.
Ken Kimball asked for specifics of the construction experience required of the Working Foreman; Cahoon replied that he expected road construction experience but had not been specific in the description because he did not wish to limit it. To Kimball's question on lifting limits, he replied that a 50 pound limit was now the standard requirement.
Discussion turned to changes in job titles. Cahoon commented that under the Teamsters' contract, department heads have the authority to change job titles; Rex Peterson added that in reviewing the job description, the Personnel board approves what is presented but is not promoting the job title; Kimball stated that Personnel Board is a recommending group and that the job title should reflect what the job description says.
Chair Peters hoped that these well-written job description would help the DPW pick up the slack caused by Town Meeting voting down a proposed position last year.
Cahoon then turned to changes in the description for Transfer Station Lead Equipment Operator, stating that the DPW needs someone at the solid waste facility to oversee day-by-day, hour-by-hour changes at the transfer station, which is often extremely busy and needs someone in a coordinating position when Cahoon cannot be there. Basically needed is an equipment operator with supervisory skills who can keep records of tonnage coming in for the DEP, can find markets for recyclables, can oversee site cleanliness, and can oversee income from items at the disposal area. The addition of the requirement of the CDL Class A Driver's License was made to satisfy the requirement that all employees must be licensed and classified for the motor equipment they are driving in order
to the Town to be insured against liability. With contractual increases in vacation time, this person would be qualified to substitute for absent operators.
Chair Peters asked about the overall grade levels of the DPW; Cahoon answered that all workers were within 2 grades of each other. He felt that promoting from within to these positions would be a morale booster, if someone from inside were to apply; however, he noted that a drawback of this job was working weekends. Since this was not stated in the job description, the Board suggested that it be added.
John Makely asked why both descriptions required 5 years minimum experience; Cahoon explained that there have been numerous changes in regulations and OSIA requirements of which workers would need to be aware. He commented that Wellfleet is being looked at carefully by the DEP, since the dump is not capped yet. Makely suggested, after ascertaining from Cahoon that 1 1/2 years would be the minimum for learning the job, that 5 years might be high. Chair Peters suggested that 2 or 3 years should be sufficient. Kimball suggested the word recent should be added to the education/experience requirement. Cahoon agreed to the change of "Minimum of three years recent experience. . . ." to be applied to both job descriptions.
Ken Kimball moved and John Makely seconded that the Personnel Board approve the job descriptions for DPW Working Foreman and Transfer Station Lead Equipment Operator, with the minimal revisions discussed and agreed upon, and recommend the title changes. The motion passed unanimously, 5-0.
Old Business:
Chair Peters distributed color-coded charts prepared by Lisa Benson and entitled "Wellfleet Personnel Board Information Chart," draft 1/9/03; these charts illustrate the town employment hierarchy and representation.
Minutes of 10/15/02--Ken Kimball moved approval of these minutes as amended; Sue Peters seconded; the motion passed 5-0.
Question of a formal policy to grade positions only once a year was raised. Rex Peterson pointed out that the WEA contract stated that reclassification requests were to go to the Town Administrator first and ". . .at any point during the term of this agreement." Peterson distributed his 1/7/03 memo to department heads explaining the reclassification procedure and a copy of Tim Smith's letter of 1/7/03 to Elaine McElroy explaining his decision regarding further grading changes in the Recreation Department. Basically, the memo states that the department head or WEA must request reclassification in writing (with supporting material); the TA, if he so decides, then instructs the Personnel Board to reclassify the position. This process is contractually
called for by both the WEA and the Teamsters. Discussion then followed of the institution of the above policy for reclassification.
Ken Kimball stated that he had attended the first BOS/FinCom joint budget meetings and invited all Personnel Board members to attend them, also.
A discussion of the draft of the Warrant Article Recommendation Form prepared by Ken Kimball followed. Kimball, noting that questions have arisen as to what the role of the Personnel Board was as relates to salary and establishment of new positions, has written this questionnaire for department heads to submit to Personnel Boards to justify their requests for new positions. Kimball noted a contradiction between the BOS' decision to allow "no new positions" in this budget and the information Personnel Board has been hearing from various department heads that new positions are necessary. Discussion followed:
Ira Wood, the FinCom representative, noted that FinCom has a limited ability to hear from the TA and Department Heads except in budget meetings.
Chair Peters suggested another question be added to the draft concerning what duties belonging to the Head's position would be added to the proposed Assistant's position, or who would perform these duties if the additional position is not hired. She suggested adding as Question #7: "How will these responsibilities be covered if this position is not approved?"
Ira Wood suggested deleting "Warrant Article" from the questionnaire title, noting that he was not sure it was appropriate to involve the warrant; he also suggested sending a copy of the questionnaire to the TA and the FinCom for comment.
Sue Pesters moved that her suggestion for Question #7 (above) be inserted in the draft questionnaire and that the original #7 be moved to #8. John Makely seconded. The motion passed, 5-0. Ken Kimball agreed to make the changes and give the document to the secretary to distribute to the TA, BOS, and FinCom.
Shellfish Constable-Marine Biologist Title: Discussion turned to the "controversy" over the change in the title of the head of the Shellfish Department. Ira Wood pointed out that no one objected to the fact that the shellfish constable has harbor duties; the objection was, rather, to the fact that the term "Marine Biologist" connotes advanced degrees. Concern was that in the future the Town might not be able to hire someone with advanced degrees and that there was a danger in defining a position by the qualifications of the incumbent in the position. Ken Kimball noted that Personnel Board had recommended the title based upon the job description. He stated that he had tried to explain at the BOS meeting (in which the discussion of the
Shellfish Constable-Marine Biologist title had occurred) the function of the Personnel Board in overseeing job descriptions and reclassifying jobs, etc. Further discussion of the question of changing job titles ensued; Chair Peters asked if the Board wanted to make a formal motion for the minutes, but it was decided to leave the matter for the present time.
John Makely presented to the Board a chart of Personnel Board Duties, which he had compiled from the Personnel Board Bylaw and the Town Charter; this will be duplicated and sent to all Board members for study and future discussion.
Ken Kimball moved that the meeting be adjourned; John Makely seconded; the meeting was adjourned at 4:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
________________________________ ______________________________
Frances J. Castillo, Assistant to the Sue Peters, Chair
Committee Secretary ________________________Date
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