Pay bumps for coordinator, clerk among Wendell Special Town Meeting decisions

By DOMENIC POLI

Staff Writer

Published: 02-11-2025 3:04 PM

WENDELL — Nearly a year after the town coordinator proposed a salary increase he said would better mirror the pay of leadership positions in towns similar in size to Wendell, residents will have a chance to vote on whether to appropriate another $8,000, if needed, when selecting and hiring his replacement.

Glenn Johnson-Mussad’s final day on the job in Wendell will be Feb. 28 and he will begin his work as Erving’s town planner on or before March 31. But townspeople in attendance at Wednesday’s Special Town Meeting will get to decide if they wish to make extra money available to help hire the right candidate. The meeting is slated to begin at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 6 Center St.

“The town recognizes the pay for the town coordinator has not been up to the standard of other towns,” Johnson-Mussad said on Tuesday.

Virtually attending a Selectboard meeting in March 2024, Glenn Johnson-Mussad presented figures the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) compiled regarding salaries of town administrators and coordinators. He said he averaged the hourly wage from towns comparable to Wendell and arrived at $34. That, in addition to a 4.5% cost-of-living adjustment, is what he proposed for fiscal year 2025, which would have made for a $51,731 salary.

Johnson-Mussad, who became town coordinator in January 2022, said he earns $41,164 working 28 hours a week. He said the next town coordinator’s new official job description calls for a 32-hour workweek and this Special Town Meeting article offers some “wiggle room.”

“It’s a great opportunity for me and I’m excited about the new move,” Johnson-Mussad, who also serves as chair of the Greenfield School Committee, said of accepting the job in Erving. “Although, I will miss Wendell very much. It’s been a great place to work.”

He said he believes this $8,000 request will be the only warrant article that could generate any controversy.

One article asks voters if they agree to add $2,500 to the town clerk’s salary for the increased responsibility of monitoring and posting meetings on the town website. Another article pertains to transferring $287,678 from free cash to the Stabilization Fund.

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Approval of Article 9 would pay $68,500 from available funds for an increased assessment to Swift River School, which serves children from Wendell and New Salem, and Article 8 would pay $58,500 for school transportation. The first four articles pertain to paying bills from prior years.

The full 12-article warrant can be found at tinyurl.com/27jyvk5m.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.