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Committee approves job descriptions but asks mayor to resubmit seven‑step salary schedule for four positions
Summary
After lengthy debate over a proposed 15‑step salary plan from a Collins Center study, the finance committee approved job descriptions for four non‑union roles but voted to ask the mayor to resubmit annual salaries in a seven‑step format for comparison and further review.
The Marlborough City Finance Committee approved on June 1 the job descriptions for four non‑union positions — including the City Collector/Assistant Finance Director and Assistant Recreation Director — but asked the mayor to return a revised salary schedule in a seven‑step, annual format so members could compare costs.
Mayor J. Christian Dumas introduced the ordinance package and explained the Collins Center study that recommended a 15‑step pay structure, grouping of positions to achieve pay equity, and adjustments to some positions’ hours and titles. The mayor’s letter said the 15‑step model was chosen to “ensure that the employees will stay” and to make salaries competitive and equitable across departments.
The meeting devolved into an extensive policy debate over whether to accept the 15‑step recommendation or to require a seven‑step alternative. Several councilors said they supported approving job descriptions so positions can be posted; others warned that approving a 15‑step salary structure without clear annual figures could create large, long‑term fiscal commitments. Councilor Robey sharply criticized the 15‑step proposal’s fiscal effect and said he would not support it as presented, urging the mayor to return a seven‑step version: “Cut it at seven,” he said, and recommended sending a seven‑step annual salary schedule back to the mayor for the four priority positions.
After discussion, the committee voted unanimously to approve the job descriptions, and later voted unanimously to refer the four positions back to the mayor with a request that salary figures be presented as annual amounts under a seven‑step plan for comparison. Members repeatedly asked for a clear annual salary column for each position, not just hourly rates, and asked staff to provide side‑by‑side seven‑step and 15‑step cost comparisons.
What happens next: The mayor’s office agreed to prepare and submit seven‑step annual salary figures for the four priority positions (City Collector/Assistant Finance Director, City Collector, Recreation Director, Assistant Recreation Director) for review at a future meeting. Committee members said they want the data before taking up salary ordinance adoption.
