TOWN MEETING: After Divisive Debate, Town Approves One Hour Increase by 99 to 94 [with video]

Voters at Monday night Fall Town Meeting acted on just eight of the 23 articles in the warrant, spending over an hour and a half on one portion of Article 2 debating whether or not to increase the hours for one of the Assistant Town Clerk's positions from 19 to 20 hours. The increase was ultimately approved following a very narrow defeat of an amendment proposed by Selectman Jack Petropoulos to delete the increase for the one hour from the budget. The vote on Petropoulos' amendment was 94 in support of the amendment and 99 opposed.

Petropoulos urged voters not to approve this one hour increase request, which came from Town Manager Mark Haddad and Town Clerk Mike Bouchard. "This is an issue of management, not people, and it a very important article because to directs us on what to do in the future...Tell us what you want us to do"

He presented a lengthy analysis that showed how Town Clerk offices are operated and staffed in a long list of towns and said that Groton was on the high side. Going from 19 to 20 hours, he said, "has no incremental value to the taxpayer. Twenty hour positions are inefficient and we have four, 19-hour positions in town."

The Petropoulos survey found that Groton was second highest in all comparative towns. "If all 19-hour positions were converted to 20 hours, Groton would be the highest. Towns should avoid 20-hour positions."

He stressed that tax dollars are a concern while treating an employee fairly. He calculated that the one hour increase would result in "52 additional hours of work minus 40 hours of vacation, yielding 12 additional hours of work."

When an employee works in a 20-hour position, they become eligible for full benefits including vacation time, sick time, pension contribution and health insurance. The cost estimate for the health insurance alone, for a family plan, is $16K. This was one of two, 19-hour positions in which voters agreed to add one hour to enable these employees to be eligible for full benefits. The other position was the Youth Librarian.

Finance Committee member Bob Hargraves told voters that the Town Clerk's office is the "gateway to Groton" and the FinCom voted three to one to support the one-hour increase. He pointed out that when one person sits beside another person doing the same work; it is an issue of fairness. He urged voters not to "define this in fiscal terms."

FinCom Chairman Jay Prager stressed that "19-hour employees understand that they will not get what others have." He suggested that employees that want more hours should look at other posted positions. Prager pointed out that in fact the assistant town clerk position should have been one job at 40 hours, but that the 20-hour slot was grandfathered. "This is not a personal issue...it is an issue of clarity in management."

Town Clerk Mike Bouchard defended the request, citing "parity in two halves of a job share. They provide the same services, in professional positions that require judgment. The workload has increased and is more sophisticated. We added eight new services in 2012. We have addressed upwards of 4000 requests in 2013 and we have 1000 more voters." He stressed that two people working part-time works out better that one full-time position.

"This discussion is really about the health insurance," Bouchard said.

Selectmen voted 3 to 2 to support, with Petropoulos and Selectman Josh Degen opposing the increase.

Selectman Stuart Schulman said, "This is deserved and appropriate in this case...morale of Town Hall is foremost."

Degen stressed that he wanted a needs analysis of the two positions in the Town Clerk's office, adding, "This has been posed as a fairness issue to employees, but it was known that this position was 19 hours... The issue is metrics and jobs analysis...I have asked the Town Clerk and Town Manager to do this analysis."

"If you vote for this, you open a Pandora's Box going down the road," Degen said.

Town Manager Mark Haddad also defended the request, pointing out that the town was under the levy limit. "Management isn't always about dollars and cents. This is the only position in town that is job sharing. We have to be fair to our employees."

When it came time for voters input, there was lots of it. Brooks Lyman said the issue "seemed a little bit weasley. It looks like the intent is not to pay benefits." He pointed out that a "Pandora's Box hasn't been touched and that companies all over are dumping employees hours to avoid paying healthcare."

Rule Loving suggested that although benefits in the public sector start at 20 hours, in private industry it starts at 30 hours, adding that he would like to see a study committee look at this. "I see only one line item here and I think the taxpayer should see the total cost."

Becky Pine also encouraged voters to support Petropoulos' amendment, suggesting fewer 20-hour positions in town - with some at positions at 25 hours and others at 15 hours. "Don't put people into these ridiculous situations," she said.

Personnel Board Chairman Bud Robertson told voters, "We on the Personnel Board recommend best practices. We believe that this town should follow best practices and that the issue of the people at 19 hours be dealt with in the spring." He stressed that all 19-hour positions should be dealt with at the same time and "not come in one at a time."

Other speakers were in favor of deferring the vote, wanting to see the town develop a policy that applies to all part-time employees, and present it to voters in the spring.

The remaining items under Article 2 generated little discussion and passed by voice vote. This included increases in the budget passed at Spring Town Meeting for Police and Fire Department wages, Department of Public Works for building and property maintenance for the new Fire Station, an increase in the IT Department wages, an increase in the Tax Collector/Treasurer wages, and an increase in salary for the newly hired Library Director - for increases totaling over $200K.

Voters also approved transferring from Free Cash; $300K to the Capital Stabilization Fund; $380K to the Stabilization Fund, and $100K to offset the tax rate. Selectman Degen return to the taxpayers would amount to about $28 on the average tax bill, "enough for three cheese steak subs."

In addition voters approved two new cruisers to replace one 2007 unmarked cruiser and one marked cruiser that was totaled in an accident. The funds will be taken from free cash - $36K with $24K from the insurance on the totaled vehicle.

Approval was given to the Park Commission for their request for $50K to make various improvements to several fields and properties operated by the Park Commission. These include painting the rusty flag pole at Fireman's Common, installing fence rails on the town common, installing a solar compacting trash cans at Hazel Grove Park, expanding parking at Cutler Field and fixing dry rot on the Town Gazebo.