Trustee Joe introduced the second agenda item: hiring an external firm to benchmark township employee compensation and benefits. Trustees said they want a product that combines salary benchmarking with a review of benefits so the board can evaluate total compensation.

Nut graf: Trustees endorsed placing an action item on the Oct. 13 meeting agenda to interview three consulting firms — Ryman, Gallagher and Yo & Yo — and several trustees said they prefer local firms at a cost cap near $30,000. No contract or appropriation was approved at the study session.

Discussion: Trustees reviewed proposals with wide price ranges. Joe said bids ranged from about $28,000 up to $152,000 and asked whether the higher-priced firm would deliver substantially more. Trustee Mickey and Trustee Margaret recommended Ryman, citing a complete approach that includes compensation and benefits (medical, dental, life, disability, vision, retirement, paid leave and uniform allowances) and the ability to gather local comparables through FOIA requests. Trustee Margaret said she would prioritize local firms and suggested interviewing three under-$30,000 options; she and others named Ryman, Yo & Yo and Gallagher as interview candidates.

Teresa noted the work is unbudgeted and would be paid from fund balance if the board approved it; she called the benchmarking "a top priority" for staff retention and compensation planning. Trustees emphasized practical outputs: a job-classification/grade-and-step framework, written job descriptions, and total-compensation comparisons for union and nonunion positions. Margaret described Gallagher as "a really well known consultant" and supported interviewing them despite a slightly higher price in one proposal.

Decision paths and next steps: The board asked Derek to place an action item on the Oct. 13 agenda to interview the three named firms; if the board later votes to hire one, staff would identify funding and a scope of work. Trustees asked that proposals explain whether employee input would be gathered and whether benefits benchmarking would be included.

Ending: No hiring decision or appropriation was made at the study session. Trustees stressed the need for a clear output (job descriptions and a pay/step system) and suggested the board limit spending to the lower-cost local options unless the higher-priced vendor demonstrates clear additional value.