Analysis shows Brightwood's total compensation above BLS public-sector range; committee probes insurance handbook error

A Budget Committee presentation on Sept. 8 laid out two linked personnel-cost issues: a compensation-ratio analysis intended to show the full employer cost of municipal employees, and a separate, detailed review of the town's employee health insurance contributions that identified a handbook/implementation mismatch that has shifted costs from employees to taxpayers.

Compensation-ratio analysis: The committee heard a nine-scenario sample of total compensation calculations that compare base salary to total employer cost (salary plus employer-paid benefits and payroll taxes). The presenter said the nine scenarios produced compensation ratios ranging from 1.59 to 2.24 and an average of 1.89. The presenter used example cases including a $50,000 police officer with five years' service whose total employer cost was shown as $97,118 (a ratio of about 1.94). By comparison, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (March 2025) was cited as showing a public-sector typical range of about 1.4 to 1.6 of salary for total compensation.

Retirement and payroll components were emphasized as major drivers of the total compensation figure. The presenter recorded the town's employer retirement contribution rates (2025): Group 1 employees, 12.75% of salary; Group 2 (fire) 29.15%; Group 2 (police) 30.95%. Payroll-tax assumptions used in scenarios were 7.65% for Group 1 (Social Security plus Medicare) and 1.45% for…