Town Council work session weighs pay-scale changes, police computers and grant applications

Centreville held a budget work session on March 12 during which staff walked the council through a compensation and classification study and proposed limited, midyear implementation of a salary scale.

The presenter, Crystal (HR staff), told the council that ‘‘implementing it in this fiscal year…was roughly $22,000’’ and asked for direction to bring the item to the full council meeting for formal consideration. Karen (finance staff) said the one-time cost could be covered from interest earned in the general fund, noting the town had collected more interest than budgeted and still expected additional receipts before year end.

Leaning on a council-sanctioned approach to packet preparation, staff explained the salary study (conducted by PayPoint HR) recommends a revised salary scale and more consistent step increases that would better align classifications and promotions. Crystal said larger pieces of the consultant’s recommendations are ‘‘baked into the budget’’ and will be presented next week, while the portion under immediate consideration could be implemented April 1, 2026, if council approves.

The session also included a discussion with the police chief about equipment needs. The chief described failing patrol computers — ‘‘they are on their last leg’’ — and presented a vendor quote of roughly $73,100 for a replacement package, a price staff cautioned could increase depending on supply and tariffs. Councilors debated whether to prepay from FY26 interest surplus so the department receives replacements sooner or to wait and move the expense to FY27; staff said both the pay-point request and the computer purchases could be funded from the FY26 interest surplus if council chose to use that source.

Councilors pressed for additional detail across several operating lines. Requests included a 10-year breakdown of donations/appropriations to inform future policy on nonprofit funding, a clearer Main Street activity and revenue pass-through accounting, and an itemized A‑92 (administration) salary breakdown to inform economic development staffing choices.

Staff reviewed revenue assumptions and enterprise rates: the property tax rate was unchanged from last year at 53.5 cents, the public utility tax remained $13 per $100 of assessed value, and a flat 5% automatic annual adjustment was applied to water and sewer rates per prior council resolution. Staff flagged rising contract and chemical costs at the wastewater plant and noted the town is pursuing inclusion on Maryland Department of the Environment’s intended-use plan (IUP) to seek larger wastewater funding; engineers are preparing applications to meet upcoming deadlines.

On grants, the council reiterated a policy that grants affecting town policy must come before the council, but gave staff consensus to apply for a slate of routine grants where award amounts or matches are undetermined. Chair asked, ‘‘Is there any objection to giving consensus that these grants are acceptable to apply for?’’ No councilor objected during the meeting; staff said they would return with any grants that impose unusual conditions or significant matches.

Next steps identified by councilors included a memo from the police chief detailing the computer needs and lead times, updated budget packets incorporating the vendor quote and any salary grid changes, and additional breakdowns requested by council members. The meeting ended by consensus to reconvene for the next budget work session the following Thursday and with a formal motion to adjourn, which the council approved.