Shall the Town of Hampton vote to approve the cost items included in the collective bargaining agreement reached between the Hampton Board of Selectmen and the Hampton Police Association Sergeants, which calls for the following increases in salaries and benefits at current staffing levels, over the amount paid in the prior fiscal year:
Estimated Increase (over previous year level)
2022 (39 weeks) $45,196
2023 (52 weeks) $30,028
2024 (52 weeks) $28,323
2025 (13 weeks) $7,400
And to further raise and appropriate $45,196 for the current fiscal year, such sum representing the additional costs attributable to the increase in salaries and benefits required by the new agreement over those that would be paid at current staffing levels? (Majority vote required)
What it Means: Article 12 would increase Police Sergeant’s pay by 2-3% versus the current schedule. Below is a schedule of hourly wages that would be in effect if this Article passes. For comparison, the consumer price index, upon which social security increases are based, is 5.9%.
More details can be found on the town’s website:
https://hamptonnh.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4989/HamptonPoliceAssociationTentativeAgreement—Patrolman
Those in favor say: Every shift and every division is supervised by a sergeant. The leadership skills of our Sergeants have allowed dangerous situations to be resolved favorably. As part of the salary review in anticipation of these negotiations, the Town became aware that there are Patrolmen in nearby towns making more money than Hampton Sergeants. We need to get competitive or we stand the chance of losing these experienced employees who make a difference in very tense situations. During negotiations, both the Town and the Police Sergeant’s Association conceded some items, for a “meet in the middle” kind of agreement.
Those against say: No one spoke against this Article at the Deliberative Session.
Fiscal impact: This is a four year agreement, with 39 weeks falling into 2022. In this fiscal year, a property valued at $400,000 would see a tax increase of $4.80 if this Article passes. Using 2022 valuations for the tax base, the subsequent years would see additional increases of $3.19 in 2023, $3.01 in 2024 and $.79 in 2025 (for 13 weeks only). To calculate the effect on your own property, use .012 times your valuation divided by 1,000 in 2022.