Personnel Sub Committee Regular Meeting September 10, 2012 - APPROVED

BOARD OF SELECTMEN
PERSONNEL SUB-COMMITTEE
REGULAR MEETING – SEPTEMBER 10, 2012

A Regular Meeting of the Board of Selectmen’s Personnel Sub-Committee was called to order at 6:02 p.m. in the Main Meeting Room of the Simsbury Town Hall.  Present were:  Chairman Lisa Heavner and member John Hampton.

Also present were Sean Askham, Selectman; Marianne O’Neil, Library Board President; Sue Bullock, Library Director; Mickey Lecours-Beck, Director of Social Services; Kathleen Marschall, Senior Center Coordinator; Tom Cooke, Director of Administrative Services; and Sean Kimball, Deputy Director of Administrative Services.

1. Pledge of Allegiance

Everyone stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.

2. Public Audience

Ms. Heavner offered the opportunity for public audience.  There were no speakers.

3. Approval of minutes of meetings on July 9, 2012

Mr. Hampton moved the approval of the draft minutes for July 9, 2012 and Ms. Heavner seconded the motion.  The motion passed and the minutes were approved without change.

3. Recommendation to authorize the First Selectman’s Office to modify the terms of the Town’s 457 Retirement Savings plan to allow individuals to borrow against their accrued assets.

Tom Cooke explained that given the economic downturn, there are a number of other 457 plans have begun allowing employees to borrow against their accrued assets.  This is something that was recently requested by a Town employee.  This option would only be available to current employees.  While there is a paternalistic argument for preventing employees from borrowing against their assets, because they are essentially borrowing against their retirement, there is also the argument that ultimately it is the employee’s money to manage as they see fit.

Sean Askham commented that it would be useful to see the actual plan design, because typically there is a cap of 50% of the accrued assets.

Ms. Heavner requested that the official plan language and details of the plan design be presented to the Board of Selectmen prior to full approval, but in the meantime she is comfortable moving this proposal forward.

Mr. Hampton moved approval of the item.  Ms. Heavner seconded the motion.  The motion passed unanimously.

4. Recommendation to revise the job description and salary grade for the position of Senior Center Assistant.

Mickey Lecours-Beck explained that the position of Senior Center Clerk recently became vacant due to a retirement in July.  This is an opportunity to upgrade the position and hopefully fill it with someone with increased technological skills.  In particular, there is a real need for someone to implement a system, currently used in the Parks Department, which allows individuals to register for classes online.  This is something that is becoming increasingly requested by users of the Senior Center.

Ms. Heavner asked if the money for the position upgrade is available in the current budget.  Ms. Lecours-Beck explained that it is in the budget because the previous person retired at top step and the new employee would come in at the bottom step.  It will be about 7 years before the new employee is paid the same rate as the former employee, even with the salary grade increase.

Ms. Heavner asked whether the position description should be modified to require the ability to lift up to 30 pounds so that the employee could help with table set ups and take downs in the even custodial help was unavailable.  Ms. Lecours-Beck requested that the job description stay the same because we don’t want to restrict our applicant pool.

Mr. Hampton moved approval of the item.  Ms. Heavner seconded the motion.  The motion passed unanimously.

5. Recommendation to revise the job description and salary grade for the positions of Library Technical Assistant and Library Business Resource Center Coordinator; and establish a job description and pay grade for the position of Library Technician.

Sue Bullock explained that the current positions of Business Resource Librarian and Library Technical Assistant have become vacant in the past few months.  This has allowed her and the Library Board to take a close look at these services and see where there could be functional improvements. 

She is recommending a salary grade upgrade to the Business Resource position and a title change to Library Business Resource Center Coordinator.  We had an incredible person in the role that really created the position from the ground up.  The hope is to find someone with extensive private sector experience but also someone with a librarian degree.

There is also a proposal to modify the job duties of the position of Library Technical Assistant and rename the position Library Technician.  This new position would be responsible for hardware and software support throughout the library.  This is a function that is very much needed.

Finally, the current occupied position of Library Clerk would be upgraded to the position of Library Technical Assistant, but with different job functions and responsibilities from the previous position of the same name.  This person would continue with the ordering of new materials, but also be responsible for “copy cataloguing” the received materials.

All of the proposed changes and upgrades fit within the existing budget.

Mr. Hampton moved approval of the item.  Ms. Heavner seconded the motion.  The motion passed unanimously.

6. Adjournment

Mr. Hampton accordingly moved to adjourn the meeting, Ms. Heavner seconded the motion and, upon the unanimous vote of the committee, the motion passed.  The meeting adjourned at 6:45 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Sean M. Kimball
Deputy Director of Administrative Services