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Town of Southborough kicks off classification and compensation study; board narrows comparable communities list
Summary
An MGT consultant walked Town officials through a 10-factor job analysis and market survey process; the board debated and ultimately removed Dover from the proposed list of comparable communities. JAQs are due to supervisors by July 24 and employee interviews are slated for late August.
Katie, a consultant from MGT, opened the meeting with a presentation kicking off a classification-and-compensation study for the Town of Southborough. She said the project has two linked parts—the classification (job evaluation) and the compensation (market survey)—and described the study’s purpose as establishing consistent criteria for positions and ensuring external competitiveness.
Katie explained the market survey methodology: MGT uses eight comparability criteria (population, income per capita, assessed value measures, tax levy, total budget, state aid and proximity) drawing data from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue and geographic proximity via mapping. She displayed a ranked list of candidate comparable communities and noted that several proximate towns (including Dover, Bedford, Millis and Hudson) had been suggested for inclusion to reflect the local hiring market.
The consultant reviewed the Job Analysis Questionnaire (JAQ), which she stressed is position-based and not a performance appraisal. The JAQ captures 10 factors—education and training; experience; independent judgment and impact; financial accountability; policy responsibility; planning; contact with others; supervisory responsibility; working conditions; and use of technology/specialized equipment. Employees will complete JAQs for their positions; supervisors may append comments but should not alter employee responses.
Two procedural deadlines were announced: "JAQs, those will be due back to your supervisor by July 24," Katie said, adding that supervisors should return documents to administration by July 31 and that administration will forward compiled materials to MGT by Aug. 7. She also said one-on-one or small-group JAQ interviews will be scheduled in the last two weeks of August.
Assessor Paul Sabelli, who identified himself during questions, pressed Katie on how the JAQ balances formal education against role-specific certifications, saying many municipal roles depend more on certifications than on degrees. Katie replied that the JAQ splits education/training and experience into separate factors and that certification-level credentials are frequently accounted for in the mid levels of the education/training factor; she encouraged incumbents to document required certifications in the JAQ and to discuss anomalies during the employee interview.
Board members raised several other pragmatic concerns: how to complete JAQs for shared positions (Katie advised incumbents to describe the full scope of duties for the position as filled), how to mark duties that have accrued to long-tenured incumbents, and how to treat technology changes over time (Katie recommended keeping the technology description deliberately generic and noting subject-matter-expert responsibilities where appropriate).
The meeting turned to debate over the list of comparable communities. Several members questioned the inclusion of certain towns and asked MGT to spot-check or adjust the list. A motion to accept the list as presented produced an inconclusive initial roll call; the board then agreed to remove Dover from the proposed list and proceed with the remaining towns. Katie noted that, as part of data cleaning, MGT may remove particular community data if job matches or salary structures do not align with Southborough’s positions.
The study timeline and this narrowed comparables list set the practical next steps: staff will distribute JAQs (Vanessa expected to circulate them immediately), incumbents will complete the JAQs and supervisors will route them back per the deadlines, and MGT will schedule interviews in late August. Katie reiterated that MGT’s process does not recommend reductions in pay and that the firm will prepare draft classification and compensation plans for review with administration.
Next steps: JAQs due to supervisors by July 24; supervisors to return materials to administration by July 31; materials to MGT by Aug. 7; interviews in the last two weeks of August.
