LIVERMORE — The Board of Selectpersons agreed Monday night to an employee evaluation process and voted to give truck driver Randall Tirrell a 2 percent raise in appreciation for his work for the town.

Officials have not used evaluations in the past but decided one was needed as a base line for future decision-making. 

Chairman Peter Castonguay said the form presented was what he had been looking for.

Employees will set one or two goals to work toward each year. The goals will preferably be centered on professional development. In future years the evaluations could be used to help determine pay increases.

The board also voted to approve the current rate of pay for all employees with the exception of truck driver number two, Randall Tirrell.

Last January, there was discussion at a board meeting over a promise made several years ago to Tirrell to increase his rate of pay. The board members at that time couldn’t verify the promise. They asked Carrie Castonguay to include the issue in the budget for the coming year because the budget had already been set for the present year. 

Tirrell is receiving $14.42 per hour. A 4 percent increase had been put into the 2015-16 budget in anticipation of increasing his pay. However, due to an oversight, the Budget Committee and townspeople never discussed the issue. 

Castonguay said he wasn’t saying that Tirrell didn’t deserve a raise, but a 4 percent raise would put him at more than $36,800 with the benefit package he receives. 

Tirrell referred to an instance where one town employee received a $2-per-hour increase. That change came about when one position became two different positions with the appropriate step increase that went with one of those positions.

Tirrell also said this was his fifth winter plowing for the town. He was hired in 2005 and other than sporadic 1-percent raises, he has had one raise since he finished his 90-day probation period. Tirrell said he paid $5,500 for schooling to obtain his Class A driver’s license.

Selectperson Tim Kachnovich understood Castonguay’s concern with the budget.

“My concern is if we have trained people, they could be marketable. If no raise is given, we could lose him and have to hire someone else,” Kachnovich said. 

Marc Chretien said he thought the 4 percent raise constituted a step increase and moved to award Tirrell a 58-cent-per-hour raise.

Chretien and Kachnovich voted in favor; the other three board members opposed it.

Newly elected Selectperson Tom Gould said he wanted more time to study the issue.

After more discussion on options, Tirrell said, “You get what you pay for,” and left the meeting.

Selectperson Megan Dion said Livermore is not comparable to the town of Jay. That town has more people and a mill.

“There are a lot of Class A drivers out there. Who’s to say we’re not treating him fairly with the benefit package we’re giving him,” she said. The town also gave him a job before he had his Class A license.

“We need to look at the whole picture,” she said.

With the understanding that we are not setting a precedent, but rather expressing appreciation for Tirrell and the work he’s done for the town, he moved to recommend a 2-percent raise and the board voted unanimously for it.

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