Minutes
Personnel Subcommittee - Minutes - Apr 9, 2026
Apr 9, 2026
A public record published by the Town of Simsbury (simsbury-ct.gov). mySimsbury indexes it and makes it readable; it is not the official copy. View the original file.
Page 1 of 4 Personnel Subcommittee of the Board of Selectmen Special Meeting April 9, 2026 – 9:20 A.M. Main Meeting Room, Simsbury Town Hall 933 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, Connecticut 06070 AGENDA Call to Order Ms. Mackstutis called the meeting to order at 9:20 am. 1) Approve February 11, 2026 Minutes Mr. Beal made a motion to approve the minutes with the amendments to properly spell Mr. Beal’s last name. Mr. Antonio seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed. 2) Interview Economic Development Commission Applicants The subcommittee interviewed applicants for the Economic Development Commission. 3) Review of Food Pantry Assistant Job Description The subcommittee was provided with a drafted job description for a Food Pantry Assistant. Ms. Mackstutis questioned why full-time staff cannot complete online shopping to bring in the items needed for the food pantry. Mr. Nelson explained that what it available online is sometimes limited and does not always have what the pantry needs The subcommittee chose to strike out the duty ‘additional duties as assigned’. Mr. Beal questioned why this work could not be done through other community organizations/non-profits. Mr. Beal also asked staff if there has been outreach to outside organizations to gauge interest. Mr. Nelson confirmed that management has spoken to the trustees and internal stakeholders but not outside organizations. Mr. Beal maintained that the managements role is facilitating the opportunity for an outside organization to take on this position. Ms. Mackstutis shared that her concern is that the position is not budgeted for and was not sure if the trust is willing to fund for more than one year. Mr. Nelson noted that this position is trust funded but whether or not the trust will fund beyond one year should not impact the decision of creating this position. Mr. Beal clarified that the funds come in as revenue through the trust. Page 2 of 4 Mr. Nelson noted that, although outside organizations can do the role, a Town staff member would have the upmost internal knowledge of the needs of the pantry. Secondly, management would be able to oversee the schedule of the assistant more so than what is possible with an outside organization. Ms. Mackstutis made a motion to table this agenda item. Mr. Beal seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed. 4) Review of Business Development Coordinator Job Description Mr. Nelson introduced the document as a draft, noting that the position will remain within the Union. Mr. Antonio and Ms. Mackstutis expressed that they had understood the role to be a split position and were expecting a more clearly defined, regimented job description in terms of responsibilities. Ms. Mackstutis went on to note that the draft job description should point out which responsbitlites are for the Library and which are for Economic Development. There was also a concern for the role reporting to two supervisors instead of one. Mr. Nelson explained that having two supervisors is common practice. He also mentioned that reassignment of duties can occur with Union support. He emphasized the need for feedback to refine the role, stating that Economic Development is a priority and should remain in-house rather than outsourced, allowing for greater oversight and control. Mr. Nelson also clarified that this change does not increase the budget or have a fiscal impact. Mr. Antonio raised concern that the Library may not require this position and suggested it should be focused solely on Economic Development. He also noted the uncertainty around time allocation (estimated 8–12 hours) for desk work and the lack of a clear division between library and economic development duties. Ms. Mackstutis agreed that merging responsibilities creates ambiguity. She suggested that it would be helpful to break out the duties more clearly. She also mentioned that this will be helpful for any potential future adjustments. Mr. Antonio also asked that it be made clear that the Economic Development responsibilities are solely focused on Simsbury’s economic development. Mr. Nelson responded that the job description would be edited to include a breakdown of what duties fall under Library vs. Economic Development and who would supervise those duties. Ms. Mackstutis asked whether the Planning Director should be involved in supervising this role? Mr. Nelson indicated that he would supervise this role. Ms. Mackstutis asked whether the Town Manager’s Office (TMO) could or should handle the grant work responsibilities of this position. Mr. Nelson clarified that this grant work is different from what the Town Manager’s Office currently handles. Specifically, this work would be focused on helping local business and organizations find and obtain grants, not the Town. Mr. Nelson also expressed that these changes would be effective July 1. Ms. Mackstutis requested that a revised version of the job description be brought back for review at the next meeting. Page 3 of 4 5) Fiscal Impact Analysis of the Collective Bargaining Agreements Mr. Fitzgerald provided the subcommittee with a detailed analysis of the fiscal impact of the approved collective bargaining agreements. Mr. Fitzgerald explained the distinction between actual vs. assumed costs. Mr. Nelson stated that the rates for Global and the Police Department vacancies have been validated through Mr. Fitzgerald’s analysis. Ms. Mackstutis asked whether market adjustments and General Wage Increases (GWIs) were incorporated into the Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA), and inquired about merit increases. Mr. Fitzgerald clarified the merit increase process for the CSEA Supervisors Union for the subcommittee. Mr. Nelson confirmed that GWIs and market adjustments were included. 6) Update to Unaffiliated Wage Tables Mr. Gomes provided the subcommittee with proposed salary ranges for Unaffiliated positions within the town. Mr. Gomes explained that, in effort to provide a more comprehensive view of the current pay ranges, the Unaffiliated positions have been classified into different grades. He suggested that using this practice would also help provide a comprehensive review of the spread of salaries amongst the Town’s leadership team. Mr. Gomes also explained that the focus is on establishing appropriate salary ranges with a consistent spread across positions. He noted that some individuals may exceed the maximum of their range due to high performance, which is only a concern if they are more than 10% above the maximum. Ideally, most employees should fall near the midpoint of the range, which allows room for growth and development. Mr. Antonio observed that the salary range for the Deputy Chief (DC) of Police is too narrow. Mr. Gomes agreed and stated that the range should be expanded. Mr. Nelson noted that presenting a recommendation is a charter requirement. Mr. Gomes added that the ranges are based on comparisons with similar communities in the valley. Mr. Nelson formally requested approval of the proposed salary ranges. Ms. Mackstutis stated she could not approve the ranges without assurance that individuals would not immediately be moved to the maximum of their range. Ms. Mackstutis made a motion to advance the proposed wage ranges to the full Board of Selectman. Mr. Beal seconded the motion. Mr. Antonio and Mr. Beal were in favor of the motion; Ms. Mackstutis voted against the motion. The motion passed. 7) Vacant Positions Report Ms. Lusso provided the subcommittee with a report of the current vacant positions within the Town. Mr. Nelson reported that the vacancy factor has been lowered and noted that management controls the pace of hiring. Ms. Mackstutis asked whether the dispatcher position is categorized under police vacancies or general vacancies. Mr. Nelson clarified that the dispatcher falls under general vacancies. 8) Promotion of Mr. Brett Marchand to Director of Information Technology Mr. Marchand was presented to the subcommittee as the new Director of Information Technology. Page 4 of 4 9) Status Update on Sexual Harassment Training Completion for Board and Commission Members The subcommittee was presented with a status report on Sexual Harassment Training completion by Board and Commission members. Ms. Mackstutis asked staff to send the reports to the chairs so that they may follow up with members who have yet to complete the training. 10) Executive Session a) Pursuant to CGS 1-200(6)(A) – Discussion of Yearly Performance Review Process of Town Manager Ms. Mackstutis made a motion to enter executive session at 11:53 am with subcommittee members Mr. Antonio, Ms. Mackstutis and Mr. Beal. Mr. Beal seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed. Adjourn Mr. Beal made a motion to adjourn at 12:10 pm and Mr. Antonio seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed.