FARMINGTON – Results of a recent employee-compensation study reveal the town is competitive and able to keep experienced workers.

Selectmen held a special work session Tuesday to review the results of the study with Donald Tyler, executive vice-president of Human Resource Partners LLC of Scarborough, who completed the study.

Job descriptions for the town’s 30-plus employees were evaluated, compared to other communities and assigned a grade level, he said.

The study indicates the town is in a good position to be competitive, Tyler said. There are a few exceptions where salary levels fall below the average range for that particular position.

Prior to upcoming budgeting sessions, the board hired the firm for $5,900 to assess town employees’s pay, something Tyler recommends updating every five to 10 years.

“The study evaluates the position, not the people in the position. There is no regard to performance, just position requirements,” Tyler said.

A previous study for the town was a good tool to help the board figure out fair compensation that ensured consistency of compensation for similar jobs and skills, said Chairman Stephan Bunker.

Overall, the town appears to be meeting equity goals among employees, said Town Manager Richard Davis, who expressed concerns for the few positions being paid less than they should be and suggested one option of freezing some higher paid positions to balance out and raise the lower wages without raising taxes.

Many employees have been in their positions for years, saving the town the expense of costly job turnover, which can occur when wages are too far below the average, he said.

The new system of grade levels for positions proposed by Tyler raised a couple concerns from employees who felt their positions of responsibility were not reflected by the grade level assigned. One department head was listed one grade below the other department heads. The work done in budgeting, programming and supervision of town property is comparable to other department heads, Davis said, agreeing that in both cases the employee levels might need to be adjusted.

No action was taken by board members who felt they needed to do some homework and study the results before acting but who were reassured that compensation levels were within the ballpark of fair compensation.