PALERMO — The Compensation Committee’s suggestion for a smaller Town Office staff working longer hours is a slap in the face to those who work there, Town Treasurer Contessa Mancini told selectmen Thursday.

Mancini said instead of comparing a job in Palermo’s office with jobs in similar-sized towns, as the committee did, it should be compared with working at Burger King. People working at the fast food restaurant get better benefits and more respect than the Town Office staff is getting, she said.

Mancini said she loves her job and enjoys solving problems for Palermo residents. Compensation Committee members are not among those who bring their difficulties to the office, she added. She said fewer staff would mean fewer services and less convenience for residents.

She objected specifically to the recommendation that the office remain open one or two evenings a week. Now, no one comes after work Thursdays, when the office is open until 6 p.m., she said.

Committee Vice-Chairman Donald Barrett, the main spokesman for the committee, said members never discussed personalities, talking only in terms of positions. The report’s introduction commends staff, calling their work “professional, accurate, and of high value,” he pointed out.

However, the report includes findings that led to the recommendation for a smaller staff, based on comparisons with the towns of Burnham, Plymouth, Searsmont, Swanville and Washington.

* The other five towns’ offices are open from 22 (Swanville) to 34 (Searsmont) hours per week. Palermo’s office is open 16 hours a week.

* The other towns’ annual office operating costs range from $39,120 (Burnham) to $58,559 (Plymouth), and average $46,600. Palermo’s cost is $109,448.

* The other towns’ cost per hour of operation range from $24.13 (Searsmont) to $41.71 (Plymouth), and average $33.69. Palermo’s cost per hour is $131.55.

Consequently, the committee recommends Palermo move toward a two-person office, with a part-time person available for busy periods. The transition would be made over three years, as the terms of elected staff members end.

Another recommendation is that the total cost of office staff’s compensation, including training costs and mileage, be capped at $60,000 annually, effective next July 1.

The pay cut, Mancini said, is something she can live with.

The committee also recommends:

* Asking voters at the March town meeting to change the positions of town clerk, tax collector and treasurer from elected to appointed.

* Paying Town Office staff an hourly wage instead of the annual salaries now paid.

* Increasing Town Office hours to 24 hours per week. The committee report does not specify the new hours, but suggests opening early one or two mornings and remaining open late one or two evenings each week.

* Developing written descriptions for the new positions after Town Office duties are reassigned among a smaller staff.

Selectmen made no decisions on the report’s content. They agreed it should be posted on the town’s website, and they scheduled a public meeting to present it to residents for 9 a.m. Dec. 10. The meeting will be at Palermo Consolidated School if the gymnasium is available; otherwise, the Sheepscot Lake Fish and Game Clubhouse is the likely meeting place.

In other business Thursday, selectmen voted unanimously to close the Town Office Thanksgiving day and Friday.

They also voted unanimously to offer a small tax-acquired lot off Route 3 for sale by bid.

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