Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Labor And Compensation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Warner approves $12,500 to adjust Transfer Station wages after manager's petition and debate over wage-study process
Summary
After debate over whether petitioned explanatory pages were excluded from the warrant, residents approved a $12,500 increase to the budget directed to Transfer Station pay-scale adjustments; the Transfer Station's petition article also passed earlier in the meeting.
Warner voters approved a $12,500 addition to the town's bottom-line budget to be applied to Transfer Station pay scales, following an extended discussion about local wage comparisons and whether petition explanatory pages were properly excluded from the warrant.
Transfer Station Manager Paul Fouliard presented local wage-survey findings and asked that Warner attendants be moved to $14.63 per hour, the foreman to $16.24 and the supervisor salary to $41,500. Fouliard said he had surveyed nearby towns with similar operations and told residents the requested $12,500 represents "less than 1/2 of 1% of the total budget." He said Warner's Transfer Station performs a wide set of duties (baling, budgeting, marketing) that make direct comparisons to other towns misleading.
Town Clerk Judith Rogers said she believed petition explanatory pages that included monetary figures had been omitted from the warrant in a way that may exceed the "minor textual changes" allowed by RSA for petitions; Town Administrator Laura Buono and Selectmen said they had sought legal and Local Government Center guidance and concluded the explanation pages should not be included. Rogers said the dispute stems from changes to the wage-study process and frustration among employees who did not know 2007 wage outcomes until late in the budget cycle.
Selectman Richard Cook and other Selectmen argued the town followed a wage-study process that compared Warner to a broader set of towns and that the Selectmen had already implemented merit increases and a COLA for many employees. Supporters of the amendment urged voters to reward performance and retain the experienced Transfer Station crew; Silicon of the hall of supporters applauded Fouliard's presentation of recycling and revenue figures.
A paper ballot on the $12,500 budget amendment returned YES 95, NO 62; the Moderator announced the amendment passed and the budget bottom line was adjusted accordingly. The separate petition (Article 28) to change wage scales for the Transfer Station had passed earlier by voice vote.
