So, at Town Hall, the full time employees, so called, do not work 40 hour weeks (38 hrs +/-)

At the budget hearing meetings, with sewer department, there was a pretty involved discussion on the sewer administrative assistant getting up to full time. The town administrator indicating 40 hours was required (why not for town hall?) After much back and forth, it was stated it would be 36 hours full time this year and fiscal 2020, the hours would move to 40 hours.

Fast forward to now, there was/is money in the budget (s) for a 2%  non union raise, apparently, the sewer department administrative assistant was left out. Why would that be? I was at a meeting of sewer commissioners (elected by the town to take care of "all things sewer" look up the MGL on that!) There was and still is,apparently,  a point of contention between the town administrator and the elected sewer commissioners on the collections of the sewer department. One item is the sewer commissioners feel the town should get their house in order first, before taking on sewer collections, and charging the enterprise fund for indirect costs.

I have to wonder if this raise issue is the result of payback, that has seemed to be the way of the operation from the BOS office, tow the line or else, follow my lead, or else. Look at the number of long time employees gone recently? What conclusion do you come to? Select board chairman states it is probably an oversight, so give us time to look at it. Time for select board members to follow the town general by-laws and lead and manage, give direction to town administrator, rather than the other way around. No excuse for promised, stated, accounted for and appropriated by town meeting, raises not given out to all included.

Interesting to see how this perceived arm twisting works out. Why should there be such a struggle to do things correctly? I mean, the town has good numbers, the audits are all done, we have qualified people in position, the financial team, so why this issue of a raise not being passed on. All of the union raises were handed out. Seems to be an operational approach, come up with a way to get an employee to leave if they do not become a good little pawn and then, well, since you don't have an assistant, we will be glad to have collections in town hall.

If you doubt this, attend a meeting of sewer commissioners and ask them, contact the chairman of the select board and ask him about this. This is a management issue that the select board is responsible for.