From the Town Administrator's FY 2027 Budget narrative, each department's story is worth sharing.
General Purpose
Core Functions
● Recruitment and Staffing
○ Work with departments to create job descriptions and job postings○ Attract, screen, and hire qualified candidates for open positions○ Onboarding / Offboarding employees
● Employee Relations
○ Advises leadership on workplace policies, disciplinary actions, performance management, and compliance with municipal and state employment laws○ Investigates employee complaints and concerns, resolving conflicts fairly and effectively while maintaining confidentiality
● Labor Relations
○ Work closely with the Town Administrator and applicable Department Heads to negotiate and maintain collective bargaining agreements for seven (7) municipal unions○ Advise leadership on employee relations issues, including grievance resolution, disciplinary actions and conflict mitigation○ Serve as liaison between management and unions, facilitating communication and fostering positive workplace relations
● Compensation and Benefits
○ Oversees benefits for all Town and School active employees and retirees○ Manage open enrollment processes for health, dental, and other employee benefits, ensuring all staff are properly enrolled and informed of plan options○ Provide informal benefit counseling to employees and retirees, answering questions about coverage, eligibility, and claims procedures○ Maintain accurate benefits records and coordinates with carriers to resolve enrollment errors, billing discrepancies, and coverage changes○ Analyze benefits utilization and costs, recommending program enhancements to optimize employee satisfaction and budget efficiency○ Serve as liaisons with the Norfolk County Retirement System, guiding employees through retirement planning, benefits enrollment, and pension eligibility processes○ Conduct salary benchmarking and non-union compensation planning
● Safety
○ Support and coordinate health and safety programs with other departments, helping ensure compliance with the Department of Labor Standards (DLS) regulations and municipal policies○ Encourage and support employee training efforts and foster a safe work environment○ The HR Director serves as the co-chair of the Town’s Safety Committee.
● HR Information Systems (HRIS) and Records Management
○ Maintain employee records and data securely○ Streamline HR processes through automation across departments○ Leverage HR technology for reporting and analytics
Staffing
● One (1) Director
● One (1) Deputy Director
● One (1) Benefits Coordinator
Strategic Initiatives & Accomplishments
The Human Resources Department will continue to build upon progress made in FY25 and FY26, with a focus on maintaining core services while advancing key operational improvements in FY27.
Recruitment and Workforce Support
The department remains actively involved in recruitment across all departments, supporting hiring processes, onboarding and workforce planning efforts. Recruitment activity continues to require significant staff time; particularly in a competitive labor market
Workload and Service Demand / Administrative Support Capacity
The Human Resources Department continues to experience high demand across all service areas, including recruitment, employee relations, compliance and benefits administration.
While the department remains committed to providing high-quality service, current staffing levels limit the ability to expand initiative or significantly reduce processing times.
As identified in FY26, the absence of an administrative support position continued to impact the department’s ability to efficiently manage daily operations, including front-line customer service, document processing, and coordination of routine tasks.
We have been lucky to have several wonderful Senior and Veterans Tax Program Workers help out in our office. They have been instrumental in helping us in an administrative capacity.
Labor Relations
The Human Resources Department continues to support the administration and implementation of collective bargaining agreements negotiated for FY 26-28. Ongoing coordination with the Town Administrator, Department Heads and Comptroller’s Office and union representatives will be required to ensure consistent interpretation and application of contract provisions.
Benefits Administration & Customer Service
Following the transition to a new Benefits Coordinator in FY24, the department has continued to provide robust customer service and communications; including ongoing employee outreach and support. The work completed during the FY26 active enrollment/ dependent audit has strengthened the integrity of the Town’s health insurance program and will continue to inform benefits administration practice in FY27.
The Town is in the process of a transition to the Group Insurance Commission in FY27, enhancing the stability and long-term sustainability of employee benefits.
The department administers medical and personal leaves, injuries on duty, and workers’ compensation claims
Unemployment Administration
Unemployment administration requires careful oversight to ensure compliance and to mitigate financial impact to the Town. Each claim involves documentation review, separation analysis, and, when necessary, participation in hearings or appeals. These activities can be time-intensive and often require coordination across multiple departments.
In FY27; the department continues to manage these responsibilities organization-wide while working to ensure consistency in documentation and separation practices across all departments. While claim volume and complexity fluctuate, unemployment administration remains an ongoing operational responsibility that requires dedicated staff time and attention and unemployment costs are directly tied to employment activity and separation outcomes and are not discretionary in nature. As such, the department is focused on appropriate administration and mitigation of financial impact through consistent documentation and process management.
Personnel Records Modernization
The Department will continue its work in digitizing personnel files and transition to electronic records through the Tyler - Content Manager (TCM) system. This process has been supported by the Technology Department and in partnership with Franklin Public Schools. This effort remains a significant step toward improving accessibility, audit readiness and long term records management. While progress has been made; this is an ongoing project that will continue into FY27 as additional files are scanned and processes refined.
Technology Investments & Process Improvements
Consistent with FY26 goals, the department will continue to work with the Technology Department to identify opportunities to improve efficiency through system enhancements.
The Department continues to rely on systems that require significant manual effort. While progress has been made through the initial implementation of TCM, additional technology solutions such as applicant tracking, electronic onboarding, and digital forms - would improve efficiency and reduce administrative budget. These investments remain dependent on the Town’s broader financial outlook.
Continued reliance on manual processes and system limitations impacts efficiency and service delivery. In the interim; the department will focus on maximizing the existing system and identify incremental improvement to reduce manual processes across all departments.
FY27 Requested Budget Summary
The FY27 Human Resources budget reflects a continued commitment to supporting the Town’s workforce while navigating operational constraints. The department's focus remains on balancing increasing service demands with limited staffing resources, while advancing key initiatives that strengthen recruitment, retention and employee experience across the organization.
Strategic investments in staffing, technology and employee development will position the organization to better recruit, retain and support employees; ultimately strengthening the service delivery to the community. Future progress in modernization and service delivery will depend on the town’s ability to address staffing and technology needs in upcoming fiscal years. With increasing service demands and limited administrative capacity, the department will prioritize process improvements and system optimization.
The main focus this fiscal year will be transitioning employee health insurance and taking on the school related benefits. As we have hoped for many years, we hope to modernize the employee onboarding system and invest in greater cloud technology for personnel records. We will also be integral to onboarding and developing the Munis Administrator if approved.
The PDF of this section -
For the full FY 2027 budget narrative - https://www.franklinma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8912/FY27-Budget-Narrative-FINAL-1
The FY 2027 budget information can be found
