The Barrington Town Council recently approved an ordinance that updates the pay scales for non-union town employees.

According to Barrington Town Manager Phil Hervey, the adjustments are standard practice and intended to capture two to four years of potential salary increases. In Hervey’s memo to the town council, he wrote that the amounts are not the current salaries.

Some of the adjustments are larger than others. For example, while the town clerk’s salary range is increased by $100, the building official’s salary range is increased by $12,000, and the tax assessor’s salary range increased by $20,000.

During the Oct. 5 meeting, Barrington Town Council President Braxton Cloutier asked what the rationale was for the variance in increases. Hervey said it has become clear that the town needed to increase the salary range to be competitive in the hiring process. 

He referenced the building official, stating that the town cannot find a building official for $95,000.

“It’s extremely challenging to find somebody and $95,000 is not going to get it done. I can tell you that,” Hervey said. 

Other changes, he said included positions being reclassified. 

Hervey said the range really varies from position to position, adding that a downward or smaller adjustment could be made for someone who was hired with less experience than the individual who had previously filled the role. 

Hervey said the salary ranges are projections for a few years of growth. Hervey said he did not want to have to go back before the council every year to make adjustments. 

Councilor Kerry O’Neill asked if the process was standard practice. Hervey said it was — every two or three years the town adjusts salary ranges for non-union municipal employees. 

Cloutier said he was not advocating for certain positions, but wanted to be clear about the proposed salary changes. Hervey said that if they missed a couple of the adjustments they would return to the council. 

Councilor Liana Cassar asked that the town be clearer about what the position titles represent when it comes to salaries. Hervey said the directors are generally the department heads. 

Only one resident spoke during the public comment portion of the discussion. Mark Hanchar, a former member of the Committee on Appropriations (which reviews the proposed budgets), said that the state has not mandated towns do “prevailing wage at the local level.” 

“As far as I’m concerned, we’re shooting ourselves in the foot,” Hanchar said, adding that if the municipal government needs to pay someone in a non-union role more money they can do so without establishing a salary range. 

“I wouldn’t revert to prevailing wage.”

The ordinance is listed as 45-21 “Pay scale by occupational titles.” Chapter 45 of the town’s codes is “Salaries and compensation.”

Shortly after Hanchar spoke, Cloutier made a motion to approve the ordinance amendment. O’Neill seconded the motion, which passed 3-0.