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Committee cautions Harpswell must match regional benefits to recruit firefighters
Summary
Members warned that if Harpswell's pay and benefits fall below nearby towns it will struggle to recruit and retain firefighters, citing examples where changes to pension plans prompted personnel losses in larger Maine cities.
Committee members reviewed a draft benefits approach and warned Harpswell must avoid falling below neighboring departments on pay and vacation. One member pointed to Bangor's experience with pension changes and said the result was an exodus of career firefighters: "They abandoned the ICMA plan, and they went back to Main State Retirement for the same reasons that you described."
Members noted concrete differences in benefits packages around the region — for example, Bath was cited as offering 288 hours of vacation after long service — and urged the committee to recommend that the town not be the lowest‑paid among its peers. The committee proposed setting broad benefit principles and leaving detailed calculations to town staff.
