Article 3

ARTICLE 3.     To see if the Town will vote to adopt the Classification Plan and Compensation Plan for FY 2025, as submitted by the Personnel Board under Chapter 23 of the Town Code; said Classification Plan and Compensation Plan as printed on pages 18 through 21 of this warrant; funding for estimated costs of said plan is included in the general operating budget of Town in Article 4; or take any other action thereon.

               Sponsored and Supported by the Personnel Board

               Select Board recommends adoption of this article

               Finance Committee recommends adoption of this article

COMMENT:  The Town of Boxford sets an annual compensation plan in accordance with M.G.L. Chapter 41 Section 108A that must be approved by Town Meeting each year.  The plan is updated annually to ensure that the Town can not only recruit the best and brightest employees but can also retain those employees, even in a competitive marketplace. By retaining qualified, experienced employees the Town avoids the costs of re-recruitments and lost productivity, while maximizing the benefits of the investments it has made in employees and the institutional and community knowledge acquired by those employees over their tenures.

In the plan, the wages for part-time, non-union, non-benefit eligible positions would be increased by 2% for FY25 beginning July 1^st, 2024.Non-union salary positions do not automatically receive salary increases.Department Heads and non-union, full-time positions must successfully achieve satisfactory performance evaluations and complete assigned performance goals in order to progress along the salary range in the plan.

The compensation plan includes adjustments to the wage rates of the Town’s call firefighters. The last time the call firefighter pay was evaluated in depth by the Town was in 2016.  In addition to a 2% increase in base wages, the starting wage for a probationary call firefighter has been increased to $18.00 from $16.27.  Furthermore, call firefighters are entitled to additional hourly compensation based on the attainment of certain skills.  These rates have been adjusted above a typical cost of living adjustment to bring overall wages in line with comparable communities.  The increase in the skills wages incentivize our call firefighters to achieve these important and necessary skills.  It brings better value to the Town when firefighters have multiple qualification in key areas of our duties such as EMT.