Published in the September 21, 2017 edition
By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — The selectmen voted to designate several part-time and seasonal town employee positions as having special municipal employee status Monday night.
The request was made to assist three department heads in finding qualified applicants for what is often short-term work and irregular hours while also complying with a state law designed to prevent employees from double dipping.
The ruling affects specific jobs in the Police Department (police matron and crossing guards); Council on Aging (van driver); and Parks and Recreation Department (infant and toddler instructor, after school instructor/coach, summer program director, summer program assistant director and summer counselor).
The board stipulated that the need for maintaining the special employee status for these positions would be reevaluated by them annually each December, starting this year.
Town Administrator Michael Gilleberto explained these are all part-time positions. The COA van driver position is currently shared by two part-time employees, which gives it a little more flexibility than the former single full-time position.
“We found that despite our continuous advertising for the positions, we’ve had difficulty recruiting employees,” Gilleberto said. “On occasion the candidates that come to us are already employed in other part-time capacities working for the town. Under state law a municipal employee cannot hold two part-time positions without one of those positions being designated as a special municipal employee.”
Gilleberto provided the board with information on both the state’s conflict of interest law and an opinion from Town Counsel.
The T.A. added that at the present time the lack of this special municipal employee status is affecting the ability of the Parks and Recreation Department from legally hiring an otherwise qualified applicant for an open position as an infant and toddler instructor. The opening was created when the former employee in that position was promoted to a full-time position within Parks and Rec, he said.
Parks and Recreation Director Lynne Clemens confirmed that this is the case because the qualified candidate is currently employed in the town as a substitute teacher.
Selectman Steve O’Leary said in the past the board has been “very cautious to designate positions as ‘special employees.’” If this change is made, he requested that the board “revisit any designated positions on an annual basis,” in either June or December.
Clemens said she starts advertising for the department’s summer positions in January because she needs plenty of lead time to line up the directors of her summer programs and other positions due to the training, background checks and certifications required of these positions, including first aid, CPR and CORI checks.
Ideally, all of her hiring and training for these summer positions need to be completed by March, therefore she requested the board’s annual review take place in December rather than June.
Other positions affected by this ruling include something as routine as a teacher/coach at the high school level applying to run Parks and Rec’s after school youth track camp after the high school track season concludes.
Selectman Kathryn Manupelli expressed concern that granting special status to these positions could give current town employees “a leg up” on other potential candidates for these jobs because of already being known to the department heads.
“I think if it’s advertised and fully it’s put out there, just because we do this doesn’t avoid the issue of someone may be having a leg up on someone else who is applying, another citizen who is applying, just because they’re in here and they’re known,” she said.
Clemens stressed that would not be the case as she has always advertises these positions in a multitude of venues but due to the nature of the part-time work — some of which may only be for an hour or two per week to teach a specific class or coach a team — the positions become very difficult to fill.
“As the Human Resources told you, I advertise my heart out and I maybe get one applicant. They’re not easy jobs to fill. They’re all very seasonal and part-time so to find qualified people that are willing just to work an hour a day or a six-week interim in the summer, it’s not easy to do. So for a director, I may get one or two applicants a year. I use every resource I have,” Clemens said, adding that although most applicants are teachers, they often teach in other communities.
Selectmen Chairman Michael Prisco said the board would address the matter now and “readdress it in December to give it more exposure to reiterate to the town, to the local community, to try to get more applicants as well.”
The measure passed by a 4-0 vote with Prisco, Manupelli, O’Leary and Selectman Bob Mauceri voting in favor. Selectman Andrew Schultz was absent from this meeting.
