Police Chief Jason Wood explains the need for a wage increase for dispatchers at Tuesday's City Council meeting.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council on Tuesday rectified longstanding complaints about the low pay of city dispatchers — at least for the moment.
At the request of the administration, the council immediately passed to a second reading a new starting wage that will jump most of the dispatcher's hourly wages by about $3 retroactive to July 1.
The Police Department has had difficulty hiring and keeping dispatchers because other communities and institutions are paying much more.
"It's hard to retain help or to attract new help ... Going back to 2002, our dispatchers average over 16,000 calls a year," Police Chief Jason Wood told the council. "Their training requirements are much higher than your typical job that you would have in this area, the responsibilities and certain much certainly much higher."
The starting pay had been $14.73; the new amount starts at the 21-25 year step of $17.45 and leaves in place the next two steps of $18.31 and $19.31.
The initial order had a single rate but was changed so as not to affect two dispatchers who were at the high end of the compensation plan.
Councilors asked if even that was enough. Wood said he lost one dispatcher recently for a position in Pittsfield that pays $7 more than the new rate but he thought this action might staunch the flow.
"Shockingly enough, it's still the lowest in the area at $17.45 an hour. ... I think at some point, we're going to have to revisit this, but this is kind of an emergency," he said. "It's critical right now. My numbers in dispatch are really low."
Mayor Thomas Bernard said he anticipated the salary steps being considered as part of a future review of all pay scales. The city has applied for a Community Compact grant from the state for that work, which was discussed by the council earlier this year. But this classification change simply couldn't wait, he said.
"This is a critical issue for both recruitment and retention. And I think we know that the dispatchers in many cases are the frontline and, for many people, the first point of contact with the department, so making sure that we have people who are trained, who are professionals who are dedicated to the work and are able to feel well compensated in their service to the city is critically important," he said. "I think what we're seeing is this is an area with a lot of loss."
Councilors Keith Bona and Wayne Wilkinson, who had a son and daughter, respectively, who worked as dispatchers heartily endorsed the pay raise.
"I don't thing $17.45 is enough," said Wilkinson. "If you want to say $24, I'm all for it."
Bona said it was a start "but I'm sure it's not going to be the answer."
He pointed out that the council had been told during budget season that police officers and firefighters were being used to fill in on dispatch and being paid overtime to do so.
"So what we're paying them for overtime is considerably more than what we're paying someone to sit at dispatch that is their specific job," he said. "So in one sense, we're wearing down the other departments."
Bona asked that the council be provided with the cost breakdown for using overtime compared to the new wage rate.
Wilkinson said the low wages for dispatchers was only the tip of the iceberg, noting how the city has had difficulty in attracting employees such as an assessor.
Councilor comments echoed what retired Sgt. James Burdick had said during hearing of visitors about critical role dispatchers play in communicating between public safety and emergency personnel, in aiding people in dire circumstances, and sending people into dangerous situations.
Burdick, who served more than 36 years on the force, has been working as a dispatcher at the low rate.
"To me, that's the biggest insult ever," he said. "I stay there because I'm loyal to the city of North Adams as a police officer and now as a dispatcher. I think it's high time the city addressed that issue."
Burdick said dispatch has lost three or four "very competent, highly trained dispatchers" because they could make more elsewhere. And, he noted, he could make more working at Walmart "and I'm not putting anybody's life in jeopardy."
In other business, the council approved the appropriation of $64,905.65 from the Parking Meter Reserve Account to purchase a 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe through the Greater Boston Police Council, a collective purchasing service.
The four-wheel drive truck from Liberty Chevrolet of Wakefield will replace the fire chief's 2012 vehicle, which will now be used by the deputy chief. Bernard said they had investigated a hybrid option but it was deemed unsuitable because of the conditions the truck is expected to operate under. However, the Police Department is looking into hybrid cruisers that might be offset with a Green Communities grant.
The council also approved a minor change in ward lines made because of Census data and heard from the new director of Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, Kristy Edmunds. Several other issues that are still in committee were postponed and a tax classification hearing was set for Nov. 9.
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North Adams Council Sets School Debt Exclusion Vote
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
Council President Bryan Sapienza holds up an application to work as a poll worker for the upcoming elections. The form can be found under 'Becoming an election worker' under city clerk on the city website or in the city clerk's office.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council gave final approval on Tuesday for the mayor to borrow $65,362,859 for a new Greylock School to serve Grades prekindergarten through 2.
This final adoption paves the way for two community forums and a debt exclusion vote scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 8, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at St. Elizabeth's Parish Center. Passage of the debt exclusion vote will allow the city to raise funds beyond its levy limit for the life of the loan.
City Clerk Tina Marie Leonesio said the city has about 1,400 requests for mail-in ballots for all elections and that in-person early voting will start the Saturday before.
The first forum is Thursday, Aug. 15, at 6 p.m. at Greylock; officials will provide an overview of the project and tours of the school. Zoom participation is available here. Northern Berkshire Community Television will also record the forums for later broadcast.
The second forum is Thursday, Aug. 22, at 6 p.m. at Brayton Elementary School. The Zoom link is the same and those attending in person can also take a tour of the building.
The Massachusetts School Building Authority will pick up about $41,557,218 of the cost, the city about $20 million and the $3 million balance is expected to come from federal energy grants. The 30-year tiered loan for $20 million is expected to have its highest impact in 2029 when it will add $270 to the average tax bill, or about $22.50 a month.
This final adoption paves the way for two community forums and a debt exclusion vote scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 8, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at St. Elizabeth's Parish Center.
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This year, the family took on a new challenge, purchasing the historic West End Market building at 437 West Main St. and opening the city's first vegan restaurant, Wish Tree.
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The school received a $64,000 Feigenbaum Foundation grant a couple years ago, but because of supply and shipping delays from the pandemic, the equipment was not delivered until this past winter. click for more
Nearly a dozen residents attended Monday's Conservation Commission meeting to express opposition to a forest management plan that will include logging and the use of herbicides near Notch Reservoir. click for more