Please correct me if I am wrong, I want to make sure I am understanding this situation correctly.
Interim Town Administrator John Scruton was responsible for the updated personnel policy in February 2023 and the sudden change to paying the full time fire fighters the unnecessary overtime rates which resulted in the fire department being $30k over their 2023 OT budget ?
This guy John Scruton seems to have been the cause of many problems we’re now faced with in town.
* In early 2022 there were preparations for the warrant article to increase Fire Department staffing. It has been claimed that the former Town Administrator, Chris Sterndale, understood that this staffing change was to be accompanied by a change in the overtime policy. There's some allusion to this in a presentation the Former Fire Chief made to the Budget Committee https://www.nottingham-nh.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif3611/f/minutes/12-16-21_official.pdf However, I can't find a discussion of it with the Selectmen, nor anything about anyone checking the math on the change in payroll costs.
* The town's written overtime policy remained at 45 hours/week, but the former Chief put full-time firefighters on 48-hour weeks without overtime.
* In February 2023 the Interim Town Administrator became aware of the discrepancy and blamed the Chief for failing to follow town policy, alerting the board.
* Apparently, the Interim Town Administrator started following the 45-hour policy and paying overtime. Perhaps back pay was paid, too. Presumably the board was aware and approved, but I cannot find this in the published minutes.
* I don't have the hourly rate for the full-time firefighters at hand, but I think it was then something like $24/hr. Six employees working 3 hours overtime per week would then be 12*6*3= $216. For a year that would be around $11. So, probably just a component of the $30k the department went over budget on overtime. Again, though, that doesn't address back pay.
* Presumably, the BOS has been aware of this for a long time but has not taken up the issue. They say they'll do this in their April 1 meeting.
Please correct me if I am wrong, I want to make sure I am understanding this situation correctly.
Interim Town Administrator John Scruton was responsible for the updated personnel policy in February 2023 and the sudden change to paying the full time fire fighters the unnecessary overtime rates which resulted in the fire department being $30k over their 2023 OT budget ?
This guy John Scruton seems to have been the cause of many problems we’re now faced with in town.
To flesh it out into an outline:
* In early 2022 there were preparations for the warrant article to increase Fire Department staffing. It has been claimed that the former Town Administrator, Chris Sterndale, understood that this staffing change was to be accompanied by a change in the overtime policy. There's some allusion to this in a presentation the Former Fire Chief made to the Budget Committee https://www.nottingham-nh.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif3611/f/minutes/12-16-21_official.pdf However, I can't find a discussion of it with the Selectmen, nor anything about anyone checking the math on the change in payroll costs.
* The town's written overtime policy remained at 45 hours/week, but the former Chief put full-time firefighters on 48-hour weeks without overtime.
* In February 2023 the Interim Town Administrator became aware of the discrepancy and blamed the Chief for failing to follow town policy, alerting the board.
* Apparently, the Interim Town Administrator started following the 45-hour policy and paying overtime. Perhaps back pay was paid, too. Presumably the board was aware and approved, but I cannot find this in the published minutes.
* I don't have the hourly rate for the full-time firefighters at hand, but I think it was then something like $24/hr. Six employees working 3 hours overtime per week would then be 12*6*3= $216. For a year that would be around $11. So, probably just a component of the $30k the department went over budget on overtime. Again, though, that doesn't address back pay.
* Presumably, the BOS has been aware of this for a long time but has not taken up the issue. They say they'll do this in their April 1 meeting.
Thank you. Your work is truly appreciated.