Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 2/28/2022
LUDLOW – After months of waiting for a final report, the Ludlow Board of Selectmen met with Human Resources Director Carrie Ribeiro to discuss a classification study from Human Resources Consulting Inc. (HRS) which has seen multiple delays past when it was originally due.
Ribeiro said the work initially began last spring and is meant to help the town to better classify salaries, compensation and more for non-union employees in town.
“We contracted with HRS Services in April or May of last year and we started the work together in May. This is the company that was doing all the non-union [compensation] and [classification] plans, not just management but all our non-union positions,” she said.
One of the first steps of the study was to send the non-union employees self-assessments of their jobs.
“Between the end of May and end of June, individuals were working on assessments of their positions, which was like a five- or six-page form about what they did, who they reported to and more to help develop a job description,” she said.
Following the job assessment reports, Ribeiro said the company continued with one-on-one interviews with the non-union employees before reaching out to comparable communities for salaries, classifications and job descriptions.
Ribeiro added that after the initial work, the consultant at HRS ran into some personal issues in September.
“The consultant had a death in her family and things were put on hold and we learned of that a few weeks later. At this point we told her to do what she needs to do because her family comes first and she would be in touch,” she said. “We never heard any more so after some time I reached out to see the status and she apologized.”
Following the initial delay, which brought the process to November, the Board of Selectmen extended the contract into December.
“When the middle of December rolled around, I reached out because we were supposed to get comparables and some job description, she said she would get something back to me. With the holidays approaching we were missing information and I reached out, at that point she said she needed until the end of January to get the work done,” Ribeiro said.
Following the second delay, Ribeiro said HRS requested a third into February.
“At the end of January, I followed up with her again and at that point we got another story she had become ill herself and was dealing with personal issues and needed until the end of February,” she said. “That is when I got concerned so I suggested we bring this to the board to figure out how to handle this.”
Because there is a signed contract between the town and HRS with nothing to show for it, Ribeiro said she wanted to bring to the board for further discussion.
Town Administrator Ellie Villano said she was expecting the report by her retirement on Feb. 25.
“She emailed me late this afternoon saying she said she fully expects to have the job descriptions before I leave. She is surveying communities, she has gathered some data and she is putting together a web portal, I think we are close to being done,” she said. “At this point we should wait to see what the end of this week brings.”
Board member James Gennette said he was concerned about what the board might be getting back.
“Through all of this she has proven pretty inconsistent, and my biggest problem is how accurate is the work going to be at this point? She is just putting this all together to get it to us to say she did it, I worry about the validity and the accuracy of the information,” he said. “She is in void of contract right now, we have given her extensions and everything, at this point I would just want a refund on money.”
Ribeiro added that the cost for the three installments due to HRS totaled $9,000 but they were not accepting the third installment due to the delays.
While he said he was sympathetic because of what happened to the consulting company, board member Derek DeBarge said he still had concerns about the work.
“The length of time is the issue I have and if a third installment is voluntarily not accepted, I would question the level of work, we have been waiting for this for quite a while,” he said.
Board Chair Bill Rosenblum said he was hesitant to start the classification process all over again.
“We have been going through different conversations and negotiations where we said we are hoping to get this information to shore up other things. If we do not get it by the end of the week then I would be willing to go further with some kind of action,” he said. “At this point we could turn around it would be another year before getting anything done.”
DeBarge said he was in favor of seeing the report before deciding.
“I do not know what it is going to look like, I have not seen something like this before. I think we should probably make the decision after we see it if it is here, and if it is not that is the easier answer,” he said.
Gennette added that he wanted the board to reach out to town counsel for their opinion.
“We definitely should reach out to town counsel to get their opinion either way. I just want their opinion on the contract and how to handle that,” he said.
The board agreed to wait until it receives the work from HRS before deciding what to do and to reach out to town counsel for their opinion.
As it was Villano’s final meeting as the Town Administrator, the board spent their closing comments applauding her for the work she had done in her position since taking over in 2008 and awarded her with a certificate for her work.
The Ludlow Board of Selectmen next meet on March 1 and coverage of that meeting will appear in the March 10 edition of The Reminder.