Springfield debates wage scale for new manager

The Springfield Select Board Monday night set a top salary of $98,000 for the new town manager, with one board member noting the decision to hire a manager would be the most important decision they will make in years.
http://rutlandherald.com/article/20140529/NEWS02/705299906

Published May 29, 2014 in the Rutland Herald Springfield debates wage scale for new manager By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — How much will Springfield pay its new town manager? The Springfield Select Board Monday night set a top salary of $98,000 for the new town manager, with one board member noting the decision to hire a manager would be the most important decision they will make in years. The board voted 3-1 to set a pay scale of between $75,000 and $98,000. Only Selectman David Yesman voted against the pay scale. “I think it should be less,” he said. Yesman’s motion to pay the new manager between $65,000 to $85,000 failed for lack of a second. Selectman George McNaughton noted for the right candidate, the money would be well spent. “This is the most important hire; this is the most important decision we will make,” McNaughton said. Yesman at one point tried to have the board go behind closed doors to set the pay scale, but other board members said it should be a public discussion. For comparison purposes, the board learned Windsor’s town manager is paid $97,000 after three years on the job. The top paid manager in Vermont is in Hartford: Town Manager Hunter Rieseberg makes $115,000 a year. Longtime Town Manager Robert Forguites announced his retirement earlier this month after 16 years working for the town. Forguites, 75, hopes to stop working full time by the end of September, and take full retirement by the end of the year. Forguites, who is paid $78,000, has refused pay increases in recent years. Forguites, citing a manager salary survey done by the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, noted that 18 towns pay their managers in excess of $77,000, and only three of those towns are larger than Springfield. The board heard from Abby Friedman, director of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns’ municipal assistance center, which the town has hired to help with the search process. Friedman said that the Vermont market for town managers had become more competitive in recent years. Friedman said she needed the pay scale in order to start advertising the position. The Select Board wants to hire the new town manager by mid to late September. The pay scale was supported by two residents who came to the Select Board meeting, solely to urge the board to not be afraid to spend “top dollar” in the search for a new municipal leader. Resident Walter Clark urged the board not to be “penny wise and pound foolish.” “This town needs a lot of help,” he said. “Springfield faces some pretty large challenges,” said resident Richard Andrews. “We need somebody competent and energetic.” He said the board should be prepared to “pay what the market requires” and be open to going higher than the $98,000 set earlier in the meeting.