General Government

Personnel Board

Anthony DeGregorio, Jr., Chair
Jennifer Kamionek
Kenneth D. McKenna
David Stiffler
Judy Walpole

The five-member Personnel Board has responsibility for the administration of the Personnel Bylaw (Wage and Salary Classification Plan) of the Town and is supported by the staff of the Personnel Department. The Town's Personnel Bylaw applies to approximately 190 regular-status employees and a few hundred temporary and limited-status employees. The Personnel Bylaw does not cover elected officers, employees with personal contracts, employees covered by collective bargaining agreements, and employees of the school department.

Classification& Compensation

The Town maintains a formal Classification and Compensation Plan that provides a uniform system for grouping positions based on job requirements and establishes salary ranges based on market conditions; the Personnel Board is responsible for recommending Plan amendments to Town Meeting. 2006 Town Meeting approved increases in all salary ranges for non-union regular positions effective July 1, 2006 (fy2007). These structural increases are intended to keep the Town competitive in attracting and retaining employees. All but two of the salary ranges increased by 2.75%; the mp-13 salary range increased 8% and the mp-14 range increased 20% because the ranges for these positions had fallen significantly below-market.

Funding for all salary increases is contained in the "Salary Reserve" line item of the Town Manager's annual budget. This line funds structural and performance-based increases for non-union employees, and negotiated increases under collective bargaining contracts. Each fiscal year, the Town Manager and Personnel Board determine the actual salary increases to be received by non-union employees based on the amount of money appropriated to the Salary Reserve.

Each employee in the Laborer (la) and Administrative-Clerical-Library (acl) categories is eligible for two salary increases during the fiscal year. For fy2007, each of these employees who achieved satisfactory performance received a 2.75% structural increase plus a 2.75% performance increase, up to the maximum of their assigned salary range.

Each Managerial and Professional (mp) employee is eligible for one increase during the fiscal year. For fy2007, each of these employees received a performance-based increase of 0% to 7%, up to the maximum of their assigned salary range. As in previous years, budget constraints limited the Town's ability to reward performance via the established merit increase plan; mp employees with different performance ratings received equal salary increases.

Late in 2006, the Town procured the services of Human Resource Partners llc to conduct a comprehensive study of the Classification and Compensation Plan. The study will involve updating job descriptions, evaluating grade placement based on job factors, obtaining market data for benchmark positions, and making recommendations to update the Plan accordingly. The results should assist the Town in maintaining an equitable and efficient system of personnel administration in accordance with the Personnel Bylaw.

Acknowledgement of Town Employees

The Personnel Board would like to acknowledge the regular-status Town employees who have worked for the Town of Concord for more than 20 years. The Board would like to express our sincere appreciation and gratitude to these employees for their many contributions and efforts in service to the Town.

We would also like to thank the many limited-status and seasonal employees who have worked for the Town for numerous years. Unfortunately, due to the sporadic nature of their employment, we do not have records that clearly tell us how long these dedicated employees have served the Town and, therefore, cannot print their names in this report. Nonetheless, they are appreciated by the other employees and citizens who benefit from their contributions.