from the Templeton personnel policy as posted on Town website:

Procedures:
                   a. Performance review schedule Performance reviews may be conducted on an annual cycle based on the employee’s hire date. Employees will typically receive a performance review one month prior to their anniversary hire date each year.

                    b. Merit increase schedule Merit increases are not guaranteed and are based on Town budget constraints. If the employee’s performance is satisfactory, a merit increase, if awarded, would be approved for the next fiscal year. Merit increases are designed to reward individual performance and must be allocated within The Town’s budgetary constraints 

                     c. Performance reviews—salary increases Each Department Head is responsible for the assessment of the performance and contribution of employees. The Human Resources Assistant will send a reminder to the Department Head stating when an employee’s review is scheduled to be due. A performance review may not always result in an automatic merit increase. The employee’s overall performance and step level relative to position responsibilities must be evaluated to determine whether an increase is warranted, and within budgetary constraints. 

                      d. Responsibility The Human Resources Assistant will provide the forms and spreadsheets to be used, and the completed evaluation will be retained in the employee’s personnel file. The performance evaluation will be discussed and signed by both the employee and the Department Head to ensure that all strengths, areas for improvement and goals for the next review period are clearly communicated. The Town Administrator will be fully informed of each review and will approve any pay increases based on the Town’s budgetary constraints.

In the fiscal year 2019, I find no reference to a salary or expense for a Human Resource Assistant.

As for budgetary constraints, there are no budgetary constraints regarding pay increases for non-union Sewer Department employees because 1.) Sewer expenses, including pay increases for non-union employees are not tied to tax dollars, rather, they are tied to Sewer revenue, for the most part paid for by sewer users. 2.) Those pay increases were budgeted for in the Town Meeting voted on and approved Sewer budget / spending plan for FY 2019.

Annual Town Meeting of May, 2018:

ARTICLE 16: FY 2019 SEWER DEPARTMENT OPERATING BUDGET

To see if the Town will vote to appropriate the sum of One Million Seventy Seven Thousand Three Hundred Fifty Five Dollars and No Cents ($1,077,355.00) to operate the Sewer Department for Fiscal Year 2019 and to meet said appropriation by a transfer of Thirty Six Thousand Six Hundred Fifty Six Dollars and No Cents ($36,656.00) from the certified retained earnings of the Sewer Fund and the balance from the receipts and revenues to be collected on behalf of the Sewer Department for said fiscal year. Or take any other action related thereto.

Submitted by the Board of Selectmen for the Sewer Commission Majority Vote Required

On a motion duly made and seconded the Town voted to appropriate the sum of One Million Seventy Seven Thousand Three Hundred Fifty Five Dollars and No Cents ($1,077,355.00) to operate the Sewer Department for Fiscal Year 2019 and to meet said appropriation by a transfer of Thirty Six Thousand Six Hundred Fifty Six Dollars and No Cents ($36,656.00) from the certified retained earnings of the Sewer Fund and the balance from the receipts and revenues to be collected on behalf of the Sewer Department for said fiscal year. 

Passed Unanimously/May 19th @ 12:16 pm