Buckfield employee benefits threatened

BUCKFIELD — In an effort to cut costs, the Buckfield Board of Selectmen is considering slashing employee benefits.

The most dramatic scenario of those under consideration would save the town nearly $14,000, but would cost the town's eight employees the same amount in lost holidays, health insurance, IRA benefits, and the ability to sell unused sick days back to the town.

A change to employee health insurance would shift approximately $5,000 in costs from the town to three employees.

The elimination of pay for Patriot's Day would save the town $955, and would cost eight employees about $119 each.

The board is considering reducing the town's IRA contributions, from a current scenario of 3 percent to either 2 percent, or 1 percent.

Each percentage point contributed by the town comes at a cost of about $2,236.

Selectman Robin Buswell expressed great displeasure with a system that allows employees to sell their unused sick and vacation time back to the town.

"That's wrong," he said.

Buswell said that employees should have until the end of the year to use that year's vacation time, but if they don't use it up,  "come the end of the year, it's tough luck Charlie Brown."

Buswell said that the practice represents a liability for the town.

"I don't think we want to put ourselves in a position, where they can accumulate five weeks of vacation time and we have to write them a check."

Currently, two of the town's employees have accrued the maximum amount of vacation time, and three have accrued the maximum amount of sick time.

Town Manager Glen Holmes pointed out that, no matter how the policy is changed, the employees who currently have unused time would be able to cash it out before the changes take place.

Ending the practice would save the town an estimated $3,300 per year, a cost that would be borne by six of the town's employees.

Selectwoman Eileen Hotham suggested that it would be best to give the employees time to use or sell back days that they have accrued over the last several years.

"I don't want them to lose what's theirs," she said. "That's not right."

"As far as I'm concerned, we don't have to do this until July," she said. " ... This is going to affect a lot of people, and I've already heard from a lot of them."

She said that vacation time works best when it is used for vacation, rather than cashed in.

"I want them to take their weeks," she said. "That's why we give them vacation. Take your time. You need to get away."

The town is also considering another change to vacation time, under which employees would not get a third week of vacation until they had 10 years of service in. Currently, employees get a third week of vacation after eight years of service.

Board members decided that they would hold a work session to review these and other proposed changes to the town's personnel policies. Once they have agreed on a desired draft, that draft will be given to employees in order to solicit feedback from them.

The board said that certain changes might be put to a public vote at the town meeting.