Cost-cutting measures by the Wilton Select Board have caused a rift between the board and the town clerk’s office, as the complexities of the Affordable Care Act may result in the office reducing its hours ahead of the presidential election.
The Select Board met with Town Clerk Jane Farrell and Deputy Clerk Melissa Schultz on Wednesday to discuss the matter, but by the end of the half-hour meeting, neither side had come to a resolution on how to move forward.
The town clerk/tax collector’s office was among other town departments that the Select Board downsized by about 10 percent, as part of a measure anticipating the loss of revenue coming in this year due to the coronavirus. The department has three employees, including Farrell, who is salaried, Schultz, hired for 35 hours a week, and office assistant Jeannette Vinton, whose hours were reduced from 33 hours per week to 25, eliminating her benefits and resulting in about $28,000 in savings for the office.
When the board decreased Vinton’s hours, it also increased Schultz’s hours to 40 a week. Select Board Chair Matt Fish told Farrell that increasing Schultz’s hours should result in only a small gap between the amount of hours staff were working before.
But it’s not that simple, Farrell said. Vinton, no longer receiving insurance through the town, now has to purchase her health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. The cost of insurance if Vinton were to work 25 hours wasn’t economically viable, Farrell said, and Vinton has elected to work 16 hours a week, which puts her in an income bracket that allows her to purchase an insurance package she can afford.
The loss of those hours is impacting the amount of work the office can get done, Farrell said. In fact, Farrell said, the situation has reached critical mass, to the point that she is considering closing the office one of the four days it’s currently open, to allow staff to catch up on paperwork and required tasks.
“The key point was not to affect customer service,” Farrell said. “Customer service is being affected.”
Select Board Chair Matt Fish said the choice to work 16 hours a week is Vinton’s, and that the board had authorized the position for up to 25 hours. He said the loss of a few hours was justified by the amount of savings provided.
Selectwoman Kellie-Sue Boissonnault said that, by law, the town clerk can set her own hours, and if Farrell wants to change the hours of the office, she can do so. But she said she wouldn’t support reinstating Vinton’s original work hours.
“I do no support putting more hours into that office,” Boissonnault said.
Selectman Kermit Williams said he was against cutting personnel to reach cost-saving goals. COVID-19 protocols, including the use of a drop box for document drop-off and handling a lot more calls by phone, plus the upcoming state primary and national elections put more pressure on the office, he said.
“If anything, it’s harder,” Williams said. “It adds a significant amount of time and effort.”
Farrell agreed, saying there was a huge interest in the upcoming elections, and the office has already had to process about 200 absentee ballot requests. In 2016, just 33 Wilton residents voted by absentee ballots in the primary elections.
“We’ve been trying to maintain the public service,” Farrell said. “It was assumed we were fine without a third worker. It was not fine…Currently the workload is not sustainable.”
And while the cuts were made in anticipation of revenue shortfalls, Williams said that so far, the Town Clerk’s office has been “on par” with revenues compared to previous years.
Other residents said the clerk and tax collector’s office, where employees interact with almost every resident in town at least once a year, isn’t a good place to cut staff hours.
“Every resident in town is touched by that office,” said Wilton resident Jennifer Beck. “Everyone in this building is an absolute priority to hang on to.”
The meeting, which had been scheduled for half an hour, ended abruptly, but the board agreed to table the subject for its next meeting, which is scheduled for Monday. Following the meeting, Farrell said she had not made any decisions about whether to reduce hours, but said she doubts the majority of the board will shift its perspective on the matter, even if there is further discussion.
“They clearly have their mind made up,” Farrell said. “I absolutely don’t want to do it, I just don’t see any other option.”
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.