Amherst finance committee sends ordinance to set income tax clerk pay to council, adds emergency clause

AMHERST — The Amherst Finance Committee voted 5-0 on April 14, 2025, to send an ordinance to the full Town Council that would establish wages and benefits for an income tax office clerk and carry an emergency clause intended to make the change effective immediately if the council approves it.

Committee members took up a single substantive item on the agenda: adding the income tax office clerk position to the town’s nonbargaining wage ordinance and specifying pay and benefits. An unnamed council member explained that when the tax secretary position was negotiated out of the union, the salary and benefits information for that role existed only inside union contracts. “The only place that tax clerk or tax secretary's wages and benefits was described was within the union contracts,” the council member said, arguing the town should add the position to the nonbargaining ordinance so pay and benefits are explicit.

The draft language discussed would place the income tax office clerk at roughly “31‑something an hour,” according to the council member. The committee kept an emergency clause on the measure; the same member said they had hoped to suspend rules but did not expect that to be possible at the committee level.

Town staff described implementation steps if the ordinance is approved by council. Miss Ramey, speaking for the administration, said the plan is to move a current staff member, Craig, to the income tax side and recruit a deputy treasurer. “So the plan is still to have, Craig move over to the income tax side, and we have been receiving and we've received a number of applicants on the deputy treasurer,” Ramey said. She also noted a civil service complication related to a former position held by an employee named Laura; the civil service status affected recruitment for that role.

Councilor Mayworth moved to forward the ordinance (referred to in committee as 25‑16/8‑25‑16 in discussion) to the full council with the emergency clause. Councilor Janek seconded the motion. The committee voted unanimously, 5 to 0, to report the ordinance to the full council with the emergency provision.

Earlier in the meeting the committee also formally excused three members who had submitted letters: Miss Harmich, Mister Heberling, and Mister Jeffries. That procedural motion passed by voice vote before committee discussion of the income tax clerk item.

If the full Town Council approves the ordinance with the emergency clause, the amendment would supply wages and benefits for the income tax office clerk within the nonbargaining ordinance, allow the planned staff shift to take place, and permit the town to proceed with hiring for the deputy treasurer vacancy pending resolution of the civil service issue. The committee did not set a council hearing date during the discussion recorded in the transcript.

Votes at a glance: ordinance to add income tax office clerk to nonbargaining wage ordinance and report to council with emergency — motion by Councilor Mayworth; seconded by Councilor Janek; passed 5–0.

Next steps: The ordinance will go to the full Town Council for consideration; the transcript does not specify a council meeting date.