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Committee reviews FY27 staffing reorganization and EMTAL wage study; COLA decision deferred
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Summary
Staff outlined a reorganization that combines administrator/finance and deputy administrator/HR roles and proposes adding a staff accountant; EMTAL's wage study showed Sagadahoc near the middle of comparators. The committee deferred a final COLA decision and asked for more bargaining‑unit data.
Staff member presented proposed FY27 staffing changes and said the county would keep the same total number of positions while combining roles and adding a staff accountant. “We are combining the administrator and finance director roles and the deputy administrator and HR director roles and adding an additional support staff as a staff accountant,” the presenter said, noting the net headcount would be unchanged and the change would have a minor budget impact of about $16,000.
The presenter said the staff accountant had not yet been hired and explained how payables, receivables, payroll and reconciliation responsibilities would be divvied up. Committee members asked clarifying questions about segregation of duties and approval flows; the presenter said the bookkeeper handles receivables, the new staff accountant will reconcile, and the presenter would continue to approve transactions passing through the accounting system.
The meeting then reviewed a wage study prepared by EMTAL covering eight responding counties. The presenter said that in most job categories Sagadahoc’s wages were “just about in the middle or close to it,” and therefore the study did not recommend broad wage increases beyond position‑specific adjustments tied to changing responsibilities. A member noted Cumberland did not participate in the survey and several committee members asked about how counties categorized combined IT/facilities roles.
On the cost‑of‑living adjustment, staff said commissioners proposed a 3.3% figure tied to the Northeast CPI. “The commissioners agreed to, put in a 3.3% working number, which we applied to everybody,” staff said. Committee members compared that to collective bargaining agreements (one at 3%, another at 3.5%) and agreed to withhold a final COLA decision until bargaining‑unit negotiations and additional information are available.
Next steps: committee members asked staff to circulate the full wage‑study spreadsheet and vendor/naming clarifications so members can review before the next meeting.
