Town Seeks Proposals for Pay, Benefit Review

The town has begun soliciting proposals for a review of municipal pay and benefit rates and other personnel issues, a study that could lead to changes in how the town and employees share health care costs. 

Town Meeting in May allocated $30,000 for the study, an amount that some involved with finalizing the request for proposal (RFP) say may not be enough given the scope of the study, which will examine how town employees, including those in unions, are paid and how the benefits they receive compare to their counterparts in other communities.  

"The Town has limited resources for this project and needs to maximize results for minimum investment," the RFP states. 

The full RFP can be viewed here.  

The study grew out of resident to the town's health care expenditures to help address a growing debt load in that area. Dowd brought two proposals forward to spring Town Meeting, which were defeated in favor of the study now being launched. 

The scope of the review has been a bone of contention among Selectmen. Selectman Kevin Conley has wanted the review to be broader and include private-sector comparisons as well. The RFP does allow for some such comparison "where such comparative analysis is representative of a compensation structure that is permissible under current statutes applicable to municipal hiring. "