Brookfield, USA – The planned $20,000 employee salary study in Brookfield, originally proposed and funded in the town’s fiscal 2023 budget, has encountered a setback, according to Glenn Rooney, the town’s chairman. Rooney expressed dissatisfaction, stating that the study wouldn’t provide the desired information sought by Brookfield’s leaders.
The town had issued a request for proposals for this study in April, with three bidders responding. However, Rooney contended that the study’s sole contribution would have been comparative information already accessible through other towns’ websites and their approved budgets.
Moreover, the responsibility for gathering information via surveys would have fallen upon town employees, with the consultant firm limited to conducting a position-by-position analysis.
First Selectwoman Tara Carr initially supported the study, arguing that this type of analysis had never been performed for the town before. Carr, however, could not be reached for further comment.
During a finance board meeting on August 9, Carr and Rooney engaged in a prolonged, contentious exchange over the study’s merits.
Carr questioned whether employee compensation was adequate, to which Rooney responded, “The analysis is wrong… We’re going to spend $20,000 to get numbers that I got in an hour.”
Rooney later stated that he had discovered the budget for the survey was insufficient during the bidding and interview process.
“The only thing our administrative side is looking at is the underpaid staff and raising them up to market level. But we’re not looking at where we’re way above the average and how do we figure out a way to make it internally equitable for all,” Rooney said.
According to currently available data, Brookfield Town employees receive competitive compensation compared to similar employees in neighboring towns such as Bethel, New Milford, and New Fairfield. However, the administration aimed to compare salaries with more local towns, rather than affluent areas like Greenwich, Darien, and New Canaan.
Selectman Steve Dunn echoed Rooney’s sentiments, emphasizing the need to consider total compensation and job scope, especially when job titles may not accurately reflect differences in responsibilities.
Now, should town leaders wish to proceed with a new study, they will need to secure the necessary funding. The budget allocated for the previous study will expire, as it went unused.
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Rooney clarified during the meeting that the study would exclusively examine similar positions and functions, rather than conduct an analysis of entire departments, which he deemed necessary for a comprehensive evaluation.
Other members of the Board of Finance sided with Rooney, concurring that the proposed study would not yield the sought-after information.
Carr criticized the reliance on the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) analysis, deeming it unreliable, and expressed reservations about the “like-to-like” approach for comparisons.
In light of these concerns, the fate of Brookfield’s employee salary study remains uncertain.