A whistleblower wails.

Yikes! I certainly hope Mr. Bowser continues to be a town employee, as Amherst could use more Stand Up Guys (and gals). And if the Gazette or Bulletin doesn’t print his on-the-money diatribe, some of us will go hmmmm…


In a message dated 7/13/07 9:07:08 PM, bowserextradry@comcast.net writes:

Larry-

I submitted this letter to the editor to both the Bulletin and the Gazette, not sure if they will ever post it. Thought maybe you could spread the word or post on your blog

Monday night July 9th the Select Board voted to approve a recommendation by the Personnel Board to reclassify over 20 non-union employees. These employees are mostly management positions, department heads, directors, and their assistants. These reclassifications will result in at least 1 level increase for each employee over the next fiscal year (a few received more than one level). These reclassifications are being phased in and some will argue that the fiscal impact is very small. But since most of these management positions are long-time employees they are probably already on the top step of their current levels and they will be to the top of their new levels again in 1or 2 years. The difference between each level is anywhere from approx. $3000-$5000. This money could have been used to help ease the health insurance burden for all employees instead of giving a select few employees an increase. On top of this increase in regular pay any COLAs, longevity and other costs based on their salary (taxes, unemployment ins, benefits, etc) will increase each year also. This will have a huge fiscal impact in the next several years and we will again be struggling to balance our budget with this added burden.

I cannot believe given the fiscal crisis that the Town is in and the grueling Town Meeting that just resulted in several cuts to personnel that the Select Board could in good conscience agree to such a recommendation. We are cutting police officers, school teachers, reducing positions/hours for lower level employees in, for example, the Finance Dept and Health Dept, and then turning around and giving their supervisors increases.

This is a slap in the face to all of us Town employees and to everyone who fought so hard to keep the Town budget under control in this recent Town Meeting. Town Meeting members and Select Board members mentioned several times about not allowing COLAs and steps and then less than a month after Town Meeting adjourns the Select Board goes behind closed doors and approves large increases for management employees and a 1% COLA. This year’s budget will now be in danger of going over due to these increases in salaries.

As a result of this year’s budget woes the Police Chief has said that response time for non-emergency calls may be delayed. The Department of Public works was not filling potholes for a time, not filling vacant positions and is possibly still dealing with a hiring freeze as well as holding off on many purchases so they do not run low at year end again. The Town Hall will be reducing its hours. Property tax increases, Water and Sewer rate increases and permits for things such as driveway permits, street openings, sewer connections have all gone up to help balance the budget.

For example a driveway permit has already increased from $50 to $200, that’s 400%! What will it have to go up to next year?

In the future I hope the Select Board does not dare ask for another override. I did not vote for this last one because I knew the Town could not stick to the Amherst Plan and curb spending. This blows that 3 year plan out of the water. They have created this problem themselves and I hope that everyone will remind them of this when next year’s budget woes come up.

Jeffrey Bowser
Town employee and Town of Amherst taxpayer

Unlike Mr. Bowser, for those of us who were not paying attention to the July 9’th Select board meeting I borrowed this from Stephanie O'Keeffe. Blogging colleen of InAmherst:


Executive Session – Collective Bargaining Agreements/Open Session – Salary Chart

The Select Board went into Executive session at approximately 7:25 p.m., with members of the Personnel Board and with Human Resources Director Kay Zlogar and Assistant to the H.R. Director Eunice Torres, for the purpose of discussing collective bargaining agreements. They reconvened in open session at approximately 8:10 p.m.

Personnel Board Chair Flo Stern said that the Personnel Board had been working on amending the non-union employee salary scale chart since January of 2006, conducting interviews with 74 employees. She said that various factors had prolonged the process, including the change of Town Manager and the National Guard deployment of the DPW Superintendent. Mr. Weiss thanked all concerned for their work on the chart.

The Select Board voted 4 to 0, 1 absent, to approve the amended salary chart.