Shall the Town of Hampton vote to approve the cost items included in a three-year collective bargaining agreement reached between the Hampton Board of Selectman and the Hampton Fire Department Supervisory Association Local 3017, which calls for the following increases in salaries and benefits at the current staffing level:
2017 $ 52,918 (39 weeks) over 2016 level
2018 $ 71,809 (52 weeks) over 2017 level
2019 $ 64,849 (52 weeks) over 2018 level
2020 $ 10,644 (13 weeks) over 2019 level
And further to raise and appropriate the sum of $52,918 to fund the cost items related to the Hampton Fire Department Supervisory Association Local 3017 salaries and benefits for 2017. Such sum represents the additional salaries and benefits (over the 2016 budget level) for the first of the three years that are contained in a collective bargaining agreement between the Town of Hampton, by its Board of Selectman, and the Hampton Fire Department Supervisory Association Local 3017, pursuant to RSA 273-A. The compounded, cumulative cost impact over the three contract years of the agreement is estimated to be $330,758? (Majority vote required)
What it means: A yes vote approves salary increases negotiated via the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Fire Officers. There will be a 3% increase in salaries for each of the 3 years, a cost that is offset by members taking on more of the medical premium costs.
Those in favor say: Those who spoke at Deliberative Session expressed support for this and echoed the points made for the firefighters.
Those against say: One speaker expressed concern about people who can’t take the degree of increase, if you add all the Collective Bargaining Agreements together.
Fiscal Impact: The average Hampton home valued at $404,000 would bear an increased tax cost of $6.46 in 2017; and (if total property valuations remained the same) $8.77 in 2018; $7.92 in 2019 and $1.30 for the first 13 weeks of 2020 at current staffing levels.