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Ordinance committee advances code change on nonunion salaries; finance committee approves $123,406 transfer
Summary
The ordinance committee voted to send an order to amend Woburn Municipal Code section 2-1-80 (nonunion salaries) to the full council; the finance committee approved a related transfer of $123,406.23 from the mayor's salary adjustment account to cover nonunion employee salary adjustments tied to collective bargaining settlements.
The Woburn City Council's ordinance committee voted on April 3 to send an order that would amend Municipal Code section 2-1-80, which governs nonunion salaries, to the full council as "ought to pass." The change would codify post–collective-bargaining adjustments and implement provisions of section 2-1-84, subsections c and d, that set salary treatment for nonunion employees and department heads.
City Auditor Charles Doherty and Human Resources Director Shawna Healy attended committee meetings to explain the updates. Doherty said the ordinance would "codify changes made as a result of collective bargaining agreements and the implementation of section 2-1-84, section c and d." Healy and Doherty answered committee questions about how the adjustments are calculated and funding sources.
The finance committee later considered the companion fiscal action: an order to transfer $123,406.23 from the mayor's salary adjustment account to various nonunion salary accounts. Auditor Doherty and HR Director Healy explained the requested transfer was tied to contract settlements and that two positions originally budgeted were funded by external sources and therefore removed from the transfer total. Doherty identified the changed total in committee as $123,406.23.
Councilors discussed the composition of the increase. Councilor Musmaro (Finance committee member) clarified the reduction in the transfer total was because two positions are paid from outside funds, including long-standing WRA disposition funds and a settlement from national opioid litigation for specific staff positions. Councilor DeMerge noted that line-item increases reflected both cost-of-living and step increases for long-tenured employees, which some constituents questioned.
The finance committee voted to approve the transfer by voice vote. The ordinance committee earlier recorded a 5–0 committee vote to send the municipal code amendment to the full council with the recommendation that it "ought to pass." The motion and vote were recorded in the committee minutes and entered into the permanent record.
