Let's stop perpetuating ignorance and misinformation #1

The following was posted, apparently by several people who don't seem to want to waste their time understanding issues or researching the facts (emphasis mine):


YesRegistered: 10/13/07Posts: 310
Today at 12:50 PM

The town is not voting to accept a retroactive pay raise.
If a pay raise has been voted on by the BOS or School Committee it is binding. WRONG!!!
The town has to pay for it.

WRONG!!

The Town my [sic] choose not to fund it, in which case there would be the layoffs.



Town Meeting voters approve CONTRACTS.

Town Meeting voters approve UNION CONTRACTS.

At the combined Spring Special Town Meeting and Annual Town Meeting, there were TWO PAY RAISES that Town Counsel FAILED miserably to explain clearly.

The first had to do with the Selectmen's Secretary.

The Selectmen removed their Secretary from the Collective Bargaining group and provided a separate 3 year contract that included a clause (much like the one posted for the Town Accountant) providing for a pay increase equivalent to any received by ANY other town bargaining group.

When the GMEG group received their long overdo wage increases. it was in the SECOND YEAR of the Secretary's THREE YEAR contract.

In other words, Town Meeting voters had already APPROVED her three year contract by their vote, they just didn't realize it.

The second had to do with the salary increases of the Fire Chief -- a contract that the Selectmen deliberately neglected for 3 years and negotiated to enable to Fire Chief to retire.

Town Meeting voters DID NOT APPROVE THAT CONTRACT.

The Selectmen subsequently voted to pay that amount from 'found' money within the Fire Department prior to the end of the fiscal year. The motion, made by Chairman Brunelle was improperly worded and illegal, but one must wonder if anyone noticed.