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Resident urges board to reject proposed overtime policy that would curb DPW protections
Summary
During public comment, resident Donald McPuller urged the town board to reject a proposed overtime policy he said would limit overtime exceptions to fire and police, abolish DPW daily overtime and allow board-approved comp time that risks favoritism; the board said it is not inclined to change the policy now and will invite the fire chief to explain staffing pressures.
Donald McPuller, who identified himself as living at 3 Spencer Lane during public comment, asked the board to reject the proposed town overtime policy, saying it "explicitly limits the overtime exceptions to only the fire and police departments" and would "effectively abolish the current DPW overtime policy." He said the draft would leave DPW workers without overtime when called in while on vacation and warned that a clause allowing board-approved comp time "opens the towns to claims of favoritism and removes transparency for payroll."
Board members and staff discussed the item after public comment. A staff member reported the fire department had "about 100 hours" of overtime in the last pay period and acknowledged the department's staffing and budgetary pressures. The board signaled it was "not inclined to make any changes at this time" while continuing to monitor mounting overtime and said it would ask Chief Noah to attend the next meeting to discuss how the department might address the shortfall.
Why it matters: McPuller framed the change as a concrete reduction in DPW pay protections and raised concerns about transparency and selective exceptions; staff and board members responded by noting operational pressures in the fire department and the need for further information before acting. The memo discussed by McPuller contrasts a rolling eight-week calculation used by the fire department with the proposed strict "84 hour, per pay period" limit and flags an administrative clause allowing compensatory time with board approval.
Board next steps: The board did not adopt the new policy at the meeting. Members asked staff to invite Chief Noah to speak in person at the next meeting and to provide additional detail on overtime patterns and any proposed administrative exception process.
