Southborough Personnel Board debates early salary study, approves seasonal pay and job-description changes

The Town of Southborough Personnel Board on Feb. 10 discussed whether to move forward early with a comprehensive pay-and-class study and approved several personnel actions, including changes to seasonal recreation pay, reclassification of a part-time program supervisor and updated job descriptions for the assistant town accountant and the IT manager title change.

The discussion centered on competitiveness for seasonal and classified staff and the timing and funding for a full pay study. The board noted the Select Board and its advisory committee have questioned paying for the study in fiscal 2026. John (Personnel Board member) said he "would support that we go ahead with the appropriation of the $25,000," framing the appropriation as a potential warrant article for Annual Town Meeting on April 7, 2025. Mark (Personnel Board member, speaking as a liaison) said advisory-level deliberations over the weekend produced informal opposition and that the Personnel Board should be invited to brief the Select Board before final decisions.

Why it matters: board members said a timely review matters for retaining staff and addressing pay concerns employees have raised. Board members also noted limits on the data available without a formal outside study and the tight timeline before town meeting if the appropriation is to appear on the warrant.

Board discussion and context

Mark and Vanessa (staff) reported they had sought comparable compensation data from about seven communities and that responses were spotty. The Personnel Board discussed an existing quadrennial review cycle in the town's Salary Administration Plan (SAP) and whether to restart that timeline by conducting the study early. Vanessa said the draft warrant-language for the study is presently a placeholder while conversations continue.

Several board members urged early engagement with the Select Board. As Mark put it, the Select Board "is meeting again later this month," and the Personnel Board should seek a slot to present the rationale and data so deliberations there include Personnel Board input. Board members said the study cannot produce perfect results on short notice but may be important to address employee concerns raised since the last review.

Seasonal pay and recreation staffing

The board voted to amend Section 20, Schedule C (seasonal personnel) to update the pay scale, approved an amended job description for the part-time program supervisor and reclassified that position from Grade 1 to Grade 2. Travis (Recreation Department) told the board recreation staffing "balloons up" for summer programming, saying the department grows from around five to "35 or 45 staff with summer camp" and that private-sector wage pressure has raised turnover for short-term seasonal positions.

Travis and board members said the recreation salaries are paid from the recreation revolving fund. The board discussed which comparable towns to use for rate benchmarking; Dorianne (Personnel Board member) asked why local neighboring towns such as Northborough and Westborough were not included in some of the comparisons, and Travis said he had reached out to a broad network and would continue to gather local data.

Job descriptions and classification votes

The board approved the amended job description for the assistant town accountant and retained that position at Grade 5 after review. The board also approved an IT-manager title change and the amended job description forwarded from the Select Board with no regrade requested.

Votes at a glance

- Approve minutes of the January meeting (with edits discussed): passed (3 yes, 0 no, 1 abstain). Recorded roll call: Dorianne — Aye; Jason — Aye; Tom Truong — Aye; John — Abstain.

- Amend Section 20, Schedule C (seasonal personnel), approve amended job description for part-time program supervisor, and reclassify the part-time program supervisor from Grade 1 to Grade 2: passed (3 yes, 0 no, 1 abstain). Recorded roll call: Dorianne — Aye; John — Abstain; Tom Truong — Aye; Jason — Aye.

- Approve amended job description and classification for assistant town accountant: passed (4 yes, 0 no). Recorded roll call: Dorianne — Aye; John — Aye; Tom Truong — Aye; Jason — Aye.

- Approve amended IT manager job description/title change (no grade change requested): passed (4 yes, 0 no). Recorded roll call: Dorianne — Aye; John — Aye; Tom Truong — Aye; Jason — Aye.

Board business and next steps

Board members agreed to keep a draft warrant article for the pay/class study as a placeholder while they seek to present to the Select Board and advisory group. The board discussed the town's quadrennial review cycle in the SAP and noted that conducting an early study would reset the timeline. John expressed concern that a split vote among Personnel Board members might give the Select Board the impression the Personnel Board itself was divided; he nonetheless said he would support placing the $25,000 appropriation on the warrant.

The board also confirmed it will remain a five-member body; members who searched historical records found the original change from three to five members occurred decades ago and no reliable contemporaneous rationale was available in town files.

The meeting concluded with routine calendar discussion and adjournment.