Lungo-Koehn administration awarded two Community Compact Grants for FY22 to advance two key municipal best practices.
In 2020 the administration created the City’s first-ever Capital Improvement Plan, created a centralized Human Resources operation through the Community Compact Grant program.
Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn announced today that she will advance two large policy initiatives through the recently-released round of the State’s Community Compact Grant program. Massachusetts communities are eligible to apply every two years for up to two grants across a number of areas. For the Fiscal Year 2022 grant program, the City of Medford will pursue a comprehensive Wage and Classification Plan to bring Medford’s hiring policies and procedures in line with modern government and to ensure the City is offering competitive salaries with regard to surrounding communities. The City of Medford also applied for and was awarded a second Community Compact Grant to advance a Solid Waste Task Force to assess current trash, recycling, and composting practices in Medford and to develop Waste Contracts that are fiscally, environmentally and otherwise beneficial to the community.
In 2020, the Lungo-Koehn administration secured two Community Compact grants: a $30,000 grant that was essential in the creation of the City’s first-ever comprehensive Capital Improvement Plan, and a second $30,000 grant for development of a centralized human resources operation, policy review, and creation of a new Personnel Handbook.
“Professionalizing City services and operations has been a focus of my administration since day one. Without the proper tools and practices to serve our community, including attracting and retaining top quality candidates for various government roles, we cannot truly move our city forward. For decades Medford has relied on antiquated policies, an incredibly outdated City Charter, and general practices that do not serve a diverse, modern city. We need to do better, and the more we can do through grant funding to avoid burdening our taxpayers in the process, the better,” said Mayor Lungo-Koehn.
The development of a formal Wage and Classification Plan has been under consideration for several months, continuing Mayor Lungo-Koehn’s commitment to a professional Human Resources office and maintaining competitive and diverse hiring policies to attract and retain local residents for City roles. Medford’s current wage and classification – or “CAF” – system is outdated and salary ranges often do not meet the needs of potential candidates. With assistance from grant funding, the City will hire a consultant to guide a regional study and analysis to develop an updated Plan.
“We have an incredibly talented staff team here in City Hall, many of whom serve in their respective roles because they simply love what they do. However, we often find that existing salary ranges and compensation plans are not competitive with our surrounding communities of similar size, and we need to do better for our employees. When it comes to attracting new candidates, we need to be sure our salaries are competitive and appropriate in order to attract top quality candidates rather than risk losing them to other communities,” Mayor Lungo-Koehn said.
To develop a Solid Waste Task Force, the Lungo-Koehn administration plans to take a detailed look at the City’s overall waste management practices to inform future Waste Contracts, particularly as the City nears the end of its current contract with Waste Management. A Solid Waste Task Force would work to assess and understand equity of current practices, potential options for waste reduction, and overall best practices.
Medford city services are available to all residents, regardless of economic situation, immigration status, ability, benefit eligibility, or religious affiliation.
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