The Town of Southborough Personnel Board on Dec. 22 recommended funding a paying-class (pay) study and agreed not to alter lieutenant pay language in the Salary Administration Plan (SAP) while collective bargaining continues. During public comment, Tim McCarthy, speaking for the Southborough Police Lieutenants, said the lieutenants’ positions and benefits appeared redlined in the board packet and asked that "the existing salary administration plan remain in place until a mutually agreeable and ratified contract is reached."

The board spent the meeting reviewing the SAP and fielding questions about reclassification requests and process. Chair Jason framed the session as educational rather than decisive, telling members he had "no intention of taking motions and approving" final SAP changes at that meeting while staff and the board gather more information and hear employee feedback. Board members debated whether to pause consideration of individual regrade requests until an external pay study is completed; some members urged waiting for the scheduled quadrennial review and a consultant-driven study, while others said individual cases with material job-description changes still require review.

On budget planning, staff recommended a two-part approach: keep $12,000 in the operating budget for workplace development and sponsor a separate $25,000 warrant article, to be funded from free cash, to permit a paying-class study to begin sooner if town meeting approves the article. Proponents argued a warrant-article approach would let the study start earlier than waiting for the next fiscal-cycle budget process; skeptics warned town meeting might not fund a one-time jump in costs. After discussion, the board voted to recommend $12,000 for workplace development and to sponsor a $25,000 paying-class study warrant article, enabling staff to start the study earlier if town meeting approves.

Why it matters: Board members said the pay study aims to provide an impartial, system-wide approach to classification and grading that would reduce ad-hoc regrade requests and improve retention. The board also committed to avoid making SAP edits affecting positions that are the subject of active bargaining until contracts are ratified, a point emphasized after Tim McCarthy’s public comment.

Next steps: Staff will publish a side-by-side of proposed SAP edits for member and employee review ahead of the next Personnel Board meeting in January. The paying-class warrant article will be prepared for town-meeting consideration; if approved by town meeting, the study could begin shortly after town meeting adjourns.