The purpose of this chapter is to establish fair and equitable
personnel policies and a system of personnel administration based
on merit principles that ensure uniform, efficient application of
those policies.
All employees of the Town, excluding elected officials and employees
of the School Department, shall be subject to the provisions of this
chapter and personnel policies adopted pursuant thereto. To the extent
that the terms of any collective bargaining agreement conflict with
any provision of this chapter or personnel policies adopted pursuant
thereto, the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement shall
prevail.
The Town Administrator shall serve as the Town's Personnel
Officer responsible for the administration of the personnel system
and development of a human resources system which meets the needs
of the Town. In this capacity, the Town Administrator, upon approval
by the Board of Selectmen, shall have the authority to carry out the
following functions, including, but not limited to:
A. Appointment and removal of employees (excluding employees who by
statute are appointed by officials other than the Board of Selectmen).
B. Annual review of compensation and benefits.
C. Development of methods and standards for selection and appointment
of personnel.
D. Development and administration of performance standards.
E. Supervision of performance appraisals.
F. Other functions as circumstances necessitate.
The personnel policies adopted pursuant to this chapter shall
establish a personnel system which shall include, but need not be
limited to, the following elements:
A. Method of administration: a system which assigns responsibility for
the personnel system, including maintenance of personnel records,
implementation of effective recruitment and selection processes, maintenance
of the classification and compensation plans, oversight of the application
of policies, and periodic review and evaluation of the personnel system.
B. Classification and compensation plan(s), as deemed appropriate.
C. Recruitment and selection policies.
D. Central recordkeeping system.
E. Rights and obligations of employees.
F. Other elements of a personnel system as deemed appropriate and necessary.
The Personnel Officer, subject to review and approval by the
Board of Selectmen, shall be empowered and authorized by this chapter
to adopt personnel policies that modify the rights, benefits and obligations
of employees subject to this chapter.
The provisions of this chapter and the policies adopted pursuant
thereto are severable. In the event any provision of this chapter
or any policy adopted pursuant thereto is held invalid, the remaining
provisions of the chapter or policy shall remain in full force and
effect.