Gardner council advances amended nonunion pay ordinance to first printing after lengthy debate

The Gardner City Council on Sept. 2 voted 5-4 to send an amended ordinance to first printing that would replace the city's nonunion compensation schedule with a step-based salary grid and new rules for prior-service credit and periodic review. Councilor Hegland introduced the amended version after the finance committee voted to forward his draft instead of the mayor's original proposal.

The ordinance matters because it would change how the city sets pay for about 76 nonunion employees, including department heads, by creating multi-step progression, clarifying educational incentives and adding a periodic review to reduce the long-standing practice of intermittent, one-off raises.

Councilor Hegland said his draft aimed to make raises more affordable and to add council oversight: "My goal was to take into account the concerns and questions raised by councilors, increase the amount of oversight the council will have with this process going forward," he said. He also said the amended grid produces savings compared with the mayor's original plan while still giving each listed position a positive…