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Council to revisit staff longevity bonuses, personnel handbook and merit system after retreat discussions
Summary
Councilors discussed retaining and restructuring the longevity/retention bonus program, completing a revised personnel handbook, and clarifying merit pay mechanics. They asked a small group of councilors and staff to move the handbook and longevity proposals toward formal policy language.
Personnel policies were a recurring subject at the retreat. Councilors debated whether to preserve or revise the town’s longevity/retention bonus program and how best to tie raises to performance, longevity, or steps. Several members said the town’s existing longevity program is intended to reward retention and loyalty but that the structure and tiers merit reexamination. Councillor Kathleen said the town should not reduce existing payments for current employees, and staff recommended grandfathering current participants while changing future tiers.
Councilors asked the town manager and HR staff to draft a written policy that explains purpose, tiers and indexing (for example, tying increases to CPI or specific milestones). The council agreed that any changes should be properly documented and that revisions must consider collective bargaining agreements for union employees.
On the personnel handbook, staff reported that a cross‑departmental working group produced requests but did not convert them to consolidated policy language. The town manager said staff need more daytime working sessions with a small council working group to finalize language and ensure consistency with law and contracts. Councillors Gail and Michael offered to help edit and work with HR on the next draft. The council requested an inventory of outstanding policy changes and a timeline for completing the handbook.
Councilors also clarified the town’s merit system: the council funds a merit pool which department heads allocate to non‑union employees based on performance evaluations. The retreat resolved to keep that structure but asked staff to publicize how the merit process works and to provide clearer budget presentation so residents can see where merit pools appear in departmental budgets.
