Employees in line for pay bump

PARIS — Employees of the town of Paris can expect a 3-percent pay increase this year, after a vote by the Board of Selectmen February 13.

Town Manager Phil Tarr said that increases in town employee pay have often been linked to negotiated salary increases for employees of the police union.

"In past years, we've matched the union employees, which, this year, is 3 percent," said Tarr.

There was general agreement on the board that it was time to give employees, who received no increase last year, a raise.

"Last year, we called on our employees to freeze their pay, and they did that," said Selectman Ted Kurtz. "It's important not to ask town employees to not take a pay increase two years in a row."

Tarr said that the increase for the union employees was recently decided upon by an arbitration process between the police union and the town.

"The arbitration decision came down in favor of the police union," he said.

Tarr said that he had been forced to act independently to comply with the decision, which he said could not be appealed.

"I had to assume the board would comply," he said.

Approximately $7,500 in back pay will be paid out to union employees, who were paid retroactively to July 1.

Tarr said that, in order to maintain the police budget, the scheduling of police officers would be changed.

"There will be adjustments in hours and shifts," he said.

Tarr said that changes under consideration included a reduction in the number of hours of reserve officers, less overtime, and having Police Chief David Verrier fill in holes in shifts by working them himself.