Town to spend nearly $33,000 on new compensation study

The Front Royal Town Council, at a Monday, August 29, 2022, special meeting, voted to spend $32,500 on a compensation study and employee handbook update. The item was part of a consent agenda, which permits the panel to approve a group of “routine” items rather than addressing each item separately.

Paypoint HR, a Davidsonville, MD. firm, will conduct a comprehensive compensation study and update the Town’s employee handbook. A scope of work outlined in the contract with the Town states that the study’s intent is to ensure that the Town is competitive in the recruitment of new employees and retention of current employees and is “competitive with any competing employees.”

That may be a tall order, as well over 50 percent of Front Royal and Warren County residents commute to Northern Virginia for much higher wages.

Citing better pay, 53 percent of Warren County residents commute elsewhere to work

Paypoint HR’s Karin V.M. Campbell wrote in the plan voted on by council that she would provide the following:

A. Market Analysis: Perform a market analysis performed for the Town’s classifications and compensations. Conduct a comprehensive benchmark analysis of all Town positions with comparators to include surrounding counties, towns, and cities that compete with the Town’s employment market. Private entities will be surveyed, to the extent that they would be willing to share information on compensation and classifications. Selection of comparators shall be determined by the consultant after consultation with the Town. Preparation and delivery of a detailed report and analysis of the benchmark survey results for all positions compared to the market and how this analysis informs the Town’s pay plans.

B. Development of a Recommended Pay Scale: Develop a compensation plan, the appropriate classification of all positions in the proposed plan, options for implementing the proposed compensation plan in phases, and a pay compression analysis of all Town positions. The recommendations will take into consideration the need for wage adjustments, with the most critical positions being addressed first, and the budget impact of each phase. Develop policies and pay scales that align with the current “market” rate and are informed by the comprehensive benchmark market analysis. Pay recommendations should be externally competitive and internally equitable.

C. Conduct employee outreach: Hold employee orientation sessions to communicate the scope of work and goals. Hold employee focus groups to gain understanding of operations.

D. Gain an understanding of the Town’s existing classification and compensation structure: Review all background materials including, but not limited to, the Town’s Personnel Policies and Procedures, organizational charts, position descriptions and classification specifications.

Review the current Employee Handbook and:

1. Identify which policies are required by Federal and State law and ensure consistency with Federal and State law.

2. Make specific recommendations to simplify the policies and ensure they are consistent and flexible while protecting the Town from liability.

3. Make specific recommendations on which policies present conflicting information.

4. Compare the current Employee Handbook to best practices found in other Virginia municipalities and provide recommendations for improvement. As part of this overall review, emphasis on the employee leave policies.

PayPointHR did a similar study for the Town of Front Royal in 2017 for a $27,750 fee and offered recommendations for five-year and three-year implementation schedules. Royal Examiner’s Roger Bianchini wrote, after attending a presentation on that plan, “The result of the PayPointHR recommendation to the town government was town council adoption of a shorter-term three-year implementation plan (there was a five-year option as well). The three-year implementation was estimated to cost Front Royal a total of $367,707 over three years.”

The break-down given by then-Town Manager Joe Waltz was $123,815 in the first year (FY2018-19) and $121,946 in each of the following years.

Town of Front Royal begins implementation of staff pay-scale hikes

Other Consent Agenda items approved at the meeting include:

• $612,933.00 to purchase an electric transformer from the Virginia Transformer Corporation, for use at the Kendrick Substation.
• $21,300 for bridge inspection by the Mattering & Craig Engineering company.
• $448, 982 to Bushong Contracting Corp. for waterline upgrades on Manassas Ave. And Braxton Rd.
• A three-year contract with American Municipal Power (AMP) for electricity at a rate not to exceed $102.55 per Megawatt hour (MWh).
• The waiver of curb, gutter, and sidewalk installation at 1340 Crisman Drive, pursuant to Town Code Chapter 148-850. C. and D.
• Appointment of Daniel S. Wells to the Front Royal Planning Commission to a four-year term beginning September 1, 2022 and ending August 31, 2026.
• Condemnation Resolution for Redundant Waterline in Rt. 522 Corridor.
• Resolution to declare end of Covid-19 as a communicable disease health emergency.