Representative Town Meeting (RTM) - Minutes - 04/14/2026

FIETEEN ROPE FERRY ROAD
WATERFORD, CT 06385-2846
HHONE: Rid142-0553
wawivalerforlelorg
Finance, Wage, & Personnel Committee 
Meeting Minutes from April 14, 2026
1. Confirmation of Quorum and Call to Order
Chair JoAnna Bennett called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m.
Members Present: JoAnna Bennett, Ursula Moreshead, Lindsay Khan, Steve Besade, Kate MacKenzie
Also Present: Dir. of Finance Kim Allen, RTM Moderator Sue Driscoll
2. Public Comment: None.
3. Consideration and Action on Minutes of the March 24, 2026, Committee Meeting
Motion by Moreshead, second by Khan to approve minutes as presented.
Voice vote: Unanimous. Motion passed.
4. Consideration of and possible action on items referred to the committee:
¢ Review of Ordinance 3.17 Fleet Management (RTC 8/4/25) No discussion.
* CIP Approval Process Pilot Program (RTC 6/2/25) No discussion.
* Salaries of Elected Officials (RTC 12/2/24)
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The Chair distributed copies of the draft recommendation summarizing points agreed upon in previous meetings.
She explained that the first page describes the basics—including the one-raise-per-term limit, timing variances
by office, the current policy for insurance opt-ins, and HR’s role—and the second page outlines the relevant legal
frameworks and a visual breakdown of raise implementation schedules based on position-specific start dates.
She noted that there were two typos to be corrected, and asked for members’ comments and questions.
Discussion included review of raises granted over the past ten years, the 1.5% figure reflecting an average of
those raises, comparability of current salaries with those listed in the latest CCM survey, and elected officials’
eligibility for pensions after 5 years of service. Additionally, Director Allen informed the committee that she had
notified HR that the raises in the FY27 budget should not be implemented.
Motion by Besade, second by Khan to approve the recommendation document with typos corrected.
Voice vote: Unanimous. Motion passed.
Motion by Moreshead, second by Besade, to report this issue out of committee with a recommendation that the
RTM approve the proposed salary increase schedule with insurance opt-in provisions to establish a predictable
and legally compliant compensation structure for salaried elected officials serving four-year terms.
Voice vote: Unanimous. Motion passed.
5. Adjournment
Consensus to tentatively schedule the next meeting for June 6, with a focus on fleet management.
Motion by Khan, second by Besade to adjourn the meeting at 6:56 p.m. Voice Vote: Unanimous.
Submitted by:
JoAnna Bennett, Finance, Wage & Personnel Committee Chair
encl: Recommendation: Salaries of Elected Officials Serving Four-Year Terms

April 15, 2026
Recommendation: Salaries of Elected Officials Serving Four-Year Terms
L Purpose and Statutory Authority
Pursuant to the Connecticut State Constitution and lega! guidance provided by Town Attorney Kelly,
this proposal seeks to establish a predictable, fair, and legally compliant schedule for the
compensation of salaried elected officials serving four year terms.
Under state law, the RTM may only increase compensation for salaried elected officials serving
four-year terms once, after the official has completed two years of their current term. Furthermore,
such raises must only apply prospectively.
H. Proposed Salary Adjustment Structure
To balance the necessity of maintaining comparable compensation with the need for fiscal
responsibility to the taxpayers, the following adjustment schedule is proposed:
Adjustment: A fixed 1.5% increase shail be applied once per four-year term.
Effective Dates: To ensure clarity and administrative consistency, raises will be triggered as
follows:
o 
Board of Selectmen and Tax Collector: Officials beginning their term in November will
receive the adjustment on December 1st immediately following completion of two years
of service.
o 
Town Clerk and Treasurer: Officials beginning their term in January will receive the
adjustment on February 1st immediately following completion of two years of service.
lll. Health Benefits and Cost-Sharing
To align salaried elected officials’ benefits with town labor standards and ensure equitable contribution,
the following policy continues to apply:
e@ 
Opt-in Requirement: Salaried elected officials who choose to participate in the Town's
health insurance plan shall be required fo pay the co-share premium at the rate approved for
the NUMPS (Non-Union Management Personnel) or equivalent bargaining unit.
IV. Administrative Oversight
*® 
Tracking: The Department of Human Resources shall be responsible for maintaining a
master roster of term start dates and ensuring the 1.5% adjustment is implemented on Dec
4st or Feb 1st in the appropriate year.
e 
Future Review: This policy is intended to provide a long-term framework; however, the RTM
retains the authority to revisit, adjust, or sunset this structure through future legislative action
as economic conditions dictate.

April 15, 2026
Raise Implementation Schedule for Salaried Elected Officials
Amendments to the CT Constitution 
Article XIX 
Adopted Nov 24, 1982
Except as provided in this section, neither the state nor any political subdivision of the state shall pay
or grant to any elected official of the state or any political subdivision of the state, any compensation
greater than the amount of compensation set at the beginning of such official's term of office for the
office which such official holds or increase the pay or compensation of any public contractor above the
amount specified in the contract. The provisions of this section shall not apply to elected officials in
towns in which the legislative body is the town meeting. Th 
tion 
of 
an
political subdivision of the state whose term of office is four years or more may be increased once after
such official has completed two years of his term by the legislative body of such political subdivision.
The term “compensation” means, with respect to an elected official, such official's salary, exclusive of
reimbursement for necessary expenses or any other benefit to which his office would entitle him.
hitps.//www.cga.ct.gov/asp/Content/constitutions/Constitution_State_CT.pdf
Board of Selectmen
Official 
Election Date 
Term Starts 
Eligible for Raise 
Implement
1.5% Raise
Board of Selectmen | Nov 2, 2027 
Nov 16, 2027 
Nov 17, 2029 
Dee 1, 2029
{includes First Selectman)
Tax Collector 
Nov 2, 2027 
Nov 16, 2027 
Nov 17, 2029 
Dec 1, 2029
Town Clerk 
Nov 2, 2027 
Jan 3, 2028 
Jan 4, 2030 
Feb 1, 2030
Treasurer 
Nov 2, 2027 
Jan 3, 2028 
Jan 4, 2030 
Feb 1, 2030
Board of Selectmen
(includes First Selectman) 
Nov 4, 2031 
Nov 18, 2031 
Nov 19, 2033 
Dec 1, 2033
Tax Collector 
Nov 4, 2031 
Nov 18, 2031 
Nov 18, 2033 
Dec 1, 2033
Town Clerk 
Nov 4, 2031 
Jan 5, 2032 
Jan 6, 2034 
Feb 1, 2034
Treasurer 
Nov 4, 2031 
Jan 5, 2032 
Jan 6, 2034 
Feb 1, 2034
(includes First Selectman) 
Nov 6, 2035 
Nov 20, 2035 
Nov 21, 2037 
Dec 1, 2037
Tax Collector 
Nov 6, 2035 
Nov 20, 2035 
Nov 21, 2037 
Dec 1, 2037
Town Clerk 
Nov 6, 2035 
Jan 7, 2036 
Jan 8, 2038 
Feb 1, 2038
Treasurer 
Nov 6, 2035 
Jan 7, 2036 
Jan 8, 2038 
Feb 1, 2038
CT General Statutes Chapter 146 Sec. 9-189a 
ov/2025/pub/chap_ 
146. him#sec 9-187a
* BoS/Tax Collector: term starts by 2nd Tuesday following election
* ‘Town Clerk/Treasurer: term starts on first Monday of Jan following election
Note: Currently, these are the only salaried elected officials serving 4-year terms. The Registrars receive
compensation, but serve 2-year terms, so the timing restrictions cited do not apply to that office.