Background  information  re  town’s  tax  rate  profile  and  requirement  for  additional  administrative  support       (Compiled  November  –  December  2015  with  data  from  town  and  from  NH  Department  of  Revenue  Administration  and  NH  Municipal   Association)       1.   The  town’s  portion  of  the  tax  rate  consistently  rates  low  in  various  comparisons.    Data  from  the  NH  Department  of  Revenue   Administration  (See  attachment  A)   a.   Of  the  235  NH  municipalities  with  a  property  valuation  of  at  least  $10  million,  the  town’s  tax  rate  ranks  184th   b.   Valuation  cohort:    of  the  20  municipalities  with  property  valuations  ranked  10  below  and  10  higher  than  the  town,  the   town’s  tax  rate  ranks  19th   c.   Population  cohort:    of  the  31  municipalities  with  population  ranging  from  2-­‐3k,  the  town’s  tax  rate  ranks  23rd   d.   Strafford  County:    of  the  13  municipalities  within  Strafford  County,  the  town’s  tax  rate  ranks  11th   2.   The  town’s  overall  salary  expenditures  rank  among  the  very  lowest  compared  to  other  towns  in  the  2,000-­‐4,999  population   range.    (See  attachment  B)   3.   With  reporting  and  administrative  requirements  growing  in  number  and  complexity,  the  town  requires  more  administrative   support.    (See  attachment  C  for  more  detail)   a.   MS4-­‐permit  reporting   b.   NH  DRA  tax  portal   c.   Analysis  of  medical  plans  (current  medical  plan  is  expiring  12/31/2016)   d.   Analysis  of  property/liability  carriers  (current  provider  is  out  of  business  and  can  no  longer  cover  us  beyond  current   coverage  period  that  ends  6/31/2016)   e.   Reconciling  assessing  data  that  is  inconsistent  from  tax  maps  to  tax  cards   f.   Managing  RFP’s  for  projects  >  $25k   g.   Supporting  Board’s  initiatives  re  compliance,  boundary/property  resolutions   4.   The  administrative  assistant  performs  myriad  roles  and  responsibilities  requiring  the  ability  and  skills  to  deal  with  the  breadth   of  the  responsibilities  as  well  as  the  ability  to  use  various  electronic  productivity  tools.    (See  Attachment  C)   5.   Miscellaneous  data  regarding  administrative  support   a.   The  total  compensation  package  for  fulltime  police  officers  (with  proposed  2016  increases)  ranges  from  $40/hr  to   $58/hr;  the  total  compensation  package  for  the  town’s  administrative  assistant  (proposed)  is  under  $24/hr  (hourly   rate  of  $22).      

Revised: February 5, 2016

 

Page 1 of 4

Background  information  re  town’s  tax  rate  profile  and  requirement  for  additional  administrative  support       b.   Historical  hourly  rate  of  the  administrative  assistant:     2012   $25.12   2013   $25.62   2014  (prior   $26.26   admin)   2014   $19.50   (probationary   for  current)   2014  (Nov)   $21.00   2015   $21.42   2016   $22   (proposed)     c.   Historical  Across-­‐the-­‐Board  increases  for  all  employees  (REVISED,  FEBRUARY  5,  2016)     2005   3.75%   2006   4%   2007   3%   2008   3%   2009   3%   2010   0%   2011   2.5%   2012   2%   2013   2%   2014   2.5%   2015   2%   2016   1%         Revised: February 5, 2016

 

Page 2 of 4

Background  information  re  town’s  tax  rate  profile  and  requirement  for  additional  administrative  support       d.   Towns  in  our  population  range  with  town  administrators  (highlighted  rows  have  none  or  data  is  unclear)     Town   Population   Comments   (per  State   of  NH)   Antrim   2,634     Andover   2,362     Ashland   1,940     Auburn   5,222     Barnstead   4,596   Unclear.    Total  FT/PT  salaries:    1.5  million   Bartlett   2,792   Town  Administrator  (FT  40  hours/wk  $51,794    salaried+benefits)   Bookkeeper/Secretary  (FT  40  hours/wk  $43,890.60/  salaried+benefits)   Bethlehem   2,541   Total  FT/PT  salaries:    $964k   Boscawen   3,939   Employs  two  co-­‐administrators   Brentwood   4,727     Chester   4,818   Unclear.    Total  FT/PT  salaries:    $1.3  million   Chesterfield   3,607     Chichester   2,555   Town  Administrator  (FT  40  hours/wk  $57,500/  salaried+benefits)  Assistant   Administrator  (36  hours/wk  $18-­‐$22  hourly)     Dunbarton   2,777     Enfield   4,613     Gorham   2,820     Grantham   2,993     Greenville   1,828     Hampton  Falls   2,241     Hinsdale   4,021     Holderness   2,102     Kensington   2,113     Lee   4,334     Madison   2,560   Town  Administrator  and  Deputy  Town  Administrator   Revised: February 5, 2016

 

Page 3 of 4

Background  information  re  town’s  tax  rate  profile  and  requirement  for  additional  administrative  support       Marlborough   2,108   Unclear.      Total  FT/PT  salaries:    $629k   Milton   4,559     Moultonborough   4,070     Newbury   2,096     New  Durham   2,607     Newton   4,796     North  Hampton   4,463     Ossipee   4,338     Tamworth   2,882     Tuftonboro   2,378   Unclear.      Total  FT/PT  salaries:    unclear   Troy   2,141     Walpole   3,734     Whitefield   2,332      

Revised: February 5, 2016

 

Page 4 of 4