One RTM Member’s Suggestion: Freeze All Groton Government Wages

A Representative Town Meeting member suggested Wednesday that wages for all Groton employees be frozen and department expenses be cut by 5 percent to save money in next year’s budget.

Member Archie Swindell said the freeze should apply to all government employees including those in the public schools and subdivisions.

“The managers of the various departments should have the discretion of moving funds around to reward some employees if they deserve it, but it would have to be at the expense of others,” he said.

Swindell, who serves as chairman of the education committee, also suggested a 5 percent cut in expenses such as supplies, materials and general operations.

“There is no reason these things should have to go up every year,” he said.

The idea behind the suggestion is to look at methods that achieve savings rather than set a bottom line number and cut to meet it.

But on the town side, Groton’s proposed budget includes almost no wage increase. Of the 267 employees, Town Manager Mark Oefinger said five would receive pay raises in the coming fiscal year. Representative Town Meeting has no authority to force unions to renegotiate, but sets bottom line spending.

Superintendent Paul Kadri said the education budget includes about $1.3 million for contractual wage increases among employees represented by five unions. The largest of the five represents about 400 teachers who agreed to a zero percent pay increase this year, and would receive step increases of varying amounts next year depending on years of experience.

Teachers are in the first year of a three-year contract.

“There is no requirement for a union to reopen negotiations, and typically, when a contract is reopened you may negotiate one thing for another,” Kadri said, such as time off in exchange for pay.

“There are costs associated with everything, and you need to consider that,” he said.

Representative Town Meeting Member John B. Sebastian said the group’s objective should be no property tax increase.

“You need to keep the spending down to some level to match the income. Otherwise, you go broke,” he said.

To achieve a zero percent property tax increase next year, Groton would have to cut its proposed budget by $6.9 million due to falling revenue and the need to replenish the reserve, Oefinger said.

The Town Council is in the midst of budget deliberations and is expected to review the budgets for public safety and capital projects on Saturday. The council will then set a tentative mill rate based on the revenue it expects, and send the budget to Representative Town Meeting.

In addition, Groton could face a substantial decline in state revenue - $10 million- based on one state budget scenario being looked at by the governor.