Strasburg Town Council panel discusses employee salaries

Below is an article that appeared in the Northern Virginia Daily on January 25th, 2021. 

STRASBURG – The Town Council Personnel and Finance Committee debated compensation and morale of town employees during a meeting on Thursday.

Councilman Dane Hooser said town employee morale is lacking and he heard from some employees who said they would like more money.

In one instance, he said, some employees are required to have a commercial driver’s license, but they could be making more money in the private sector. Turnover of staff is costly, Hooser added.

“Talk to the employees. They’ll tell you. They want more money,” Hooser said.

Increasing the cigarette tax was one idea Hooser proposed as a way of increasing revenue for the town that he said could lead to higher salaries. The tax increase could also cover costs for picking up cigarette butts that are littered throughout the town, he added.

Councilman John Massoud spoke against increasing town employees’ salaries at additional cost to residents, who have also been experiencing pay shortages. Given the current state of the economy, he said pay increases could be done after the state opens back up and revenue streams are increased.

“I appreciate the fact that people aren’t getting the money they wish, but there’s nothing we can do about it at this time,” Massoud said. The town also had discussed nullifying the governor’s COVID-19 executive orders but “punted” on doing so, Massoud said.

Increasing cigarette and alcohol taxes during tough times is not a good idea, Councilwoman Doreen Ricard said, while respecting the effort to provide out-of-the-box ideas to address the situation. 

Vice Mayor Ken Cherrix proposed providing incentives to increase morale, such as another day off of work. Mayor Brandy Boies, who attended the meeting via Zoom, said Lord Fairfax Community College, where she works, made similar efforts and was surprised at how much morale improved.

A third-party pay and benefits analysis that would compare those from the town with other municipalities is being proposed for next year’s fiscal budget, Town Manager Wyatt Pearson said. The study would help provide data to verify opinions about compensation, he said.

Last year, Pearson said he provided a rough study with adjacent communities and found that police and public works employees have a starting pay issue that needs to be adjusted. He recommended not relying on him as a statistician and working with an entity in order to do a professional study.

The committee also decided to hold formal performance reviews for the town manager, who is an appointed official along with the clerk of council, treasurer, chief of police and town attorney, in June. That time of year has worked well for Pearson, he said, and allowed for any outgoing council members to share their thoughts before leaving.

The town manager would be the lone appointed official with the review as that position oversees the others, Pearson explained. But if the council wanted to discuss an item with the chief of police or the town attorney, they could do so through a closed-door session at their discretion, he said.

Reviews in the past have included questionnaires among the council that are then reviewed with the town manager in a closed session, Pearson said.

Councilwoman Taralyn Nicholson had proposed holding the review in October or November in anticipation of the potential rescheduling of municipal elections at the same time as federal and state elections. Committee members expressed concern over moving the non-partisan elections for fear of making them political.

The committee also recommended town staff delay bidding early for a new health insurance provider, which was previously discussed by the council. Pearson said it might not be a good time to do that now during a public health crisis. Massoud questioned the need to change health insurance if there’s nothing wrong with the current plan.

Council members Paul Weaver and Ricard said the plans they have had that are similar to what the town offers have been good. The town will be receiving a one-time 4% reduction in its rate with the provider by being healthier.

Pearson also shared that the town had no real estate tax write-offs this year. The town did have about $5,200, or 1.53% of total billing, in personal property tax write-offs, and about $14,000, or .27% of total billing, in utility bill write-offs. Work by Finance Director Angela Fletcher has improved collection rates, Pearson said.

Instead of contracting out trash collection responsibility, as it is now, Cherrix, asked about the town taking it over instead of contracting it out after hearing from residents about complaints on missed pickups, certain bins needed for it and more.

The town recently entered into a three-year contract for trash collection service, Pearson said. While noting that the town could study taking it over, it is a big undertaking with equipment and staff contingencies that have to be accounted for. The town’s contract rate is comparable to other municipalities, Pearson added.

Contact Charles Paullin at cpaullin@nvdaily.com