WINTHROP — Wage increases for town employees are among the largest factors driving Winthrop’s proposed $1.2 million budget increase.
Town Manager Jeffrey Kobrock said Tuesday that the town is in the middle of negotiations with two unions, one that represents police and dispatchers, and another that encompasses people working in public works, the transfer station and the town office.
The increases in pay for these employees total $447,070 and are reflected in the wage adjustment line under Administrative Services in the town’s draft budget. Kobrock said the pay boosts are meant to encourage employees to continue working for the town instead of seeking jobs elsewhere amid a hot job market.
“I think it’s fair to say that we recognize that the wage and employment market has changed a great deal,” Kobrock said. “We think we have really good employees here and we want to do everything we can to have them stay here, as opposed to seeking other opportunities in this new wage and employment market that we have.”
The wage increases make up more than half of the new spending in administrative services, which is budgeted at $2,449,671 for the fiscal year that begins July 1, up $845,509 from the current year. The other new spending in administrative services covers a $143,173 increase in worker compensation, a $83,226 rise in health insurance and $25,000 for a new regional harbormaster position.
Overall, the expense budget draft as of April 25 shows the 2023 budget at $17,900,355.60, or a $1,233,665.60 increase over last year’s budget of $16,666,690.
Kobrock said the budget also includes proposed funding for a new police officer and a new dispatcher. The officer payroll line shows a $53,394 increase over last year and the wages and salaries line under communications center and dispatch shows a $46,000 increase.
Aside from the wage adjustments, Kobrock said the budget is fairly similar to the previous year, with “fairly routine inflationary types of adjustments.”
Once they’ve concluded negotiations with the two unions, Kobrock said the town plans on making similar adjustments for nonunion employees.
“The guiding principle here is that we recognize that there’s a different wage and employment market than there was a year or two ago, and that we value our employees. Many of them have been with us for long periods of time and we want to do everything possible to keep them,” he said.
The town has its next budget workshop set for May 23 at 6 p.m. The council could approve the finalized budget on June 6 at 7 p.m., and the school budget would then go to voters on June 14.
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