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City clerk asks committee to consider higher assistant clerk pay, details operational needs
Summary
The Gardner city clerk outlined a budget largely level-funded except for salary requests and urged a pay adjustment for the assistant city clerk to reflect legal responsibilities and mandatory election duties; the clerk also described equipment and supply needs tied to elections and certified documents.
City Clerk presented the clerk's office budget to the Finance Committee on May 29 and asked committee members to consider an increase for the assistant city clerk's salary and for funding the office's operational needs tied to elections and certified records.
City Clerk (role: City Clerk) told the committee the initial salary request reflected earlier salary-study data and the clerk's institutional experience, saying, "I began working here in 2010 and became the department head by 2021," and stressing that the assistant clerk must be able to assume full legal duties during the clerk's absence. The clerk requested parity for the assistant position with comparable assistant roles because of statutory signatory responsibilities and mandatory extended work during elections.
Why it matters: the clerk's office performs legal recordkeeping duties (birth, death, marriage records), runs elections and issues licenses; understaffing or inadequate pay for the assistant clerk can affect election operations, statutory compliance and continuity of services.
Key points - Staffing and pay: Clerk asked for the assistant city clerk's salary to be adjusted to reflect the position's legal responsibilities and the need for continuity during the clerk's absence; the clerk said the original request was based on a revised salary study and her years of municipal experience. - Election operations: The clerk noted extra hours and mandatory extended availability around elections, including some Saturdays, and said that poll pads, if reliable, could reduce staffing needs and paperwork. - Equipment and supplies: The clerk indicated copier issues and a requested printer; office supplies and high-security certificate paper were discussed and tied to potential increases in printing costs—state web-based certificate printing could reduce waste but some security paper remains desirable.
Discussion and follow-up - Committee members asked whether copier replacement and security paper were included; clerk said a printer request was submitted and noted narrative submission timing affected some line items. - Members suggested a separate line for after-hours/meeting coverage rather than bundling overtime into salaries so that pay for meeting coverage remains available if salary changes do not proceed.
Ending - The clerk closed by asking the committee to consider the proposal and offered comparative spreadsheets for the assistant clerk salary on request.
