NBC Connecticut Investigates has learned about thousands of dollars in raises and bonuses given to multiple Somers town employees, with no approval by its full Board of Selectmen.
At the board meeting July 16, 2020 Selectman Tim Potrikus questioned First Selectman Bud Knorr about $32,000 in annual bonuses and raises for town employees not voted on by the full board.
Knorr was among those receiving a pay bump, getting a $3,000 bonus, the highest one given, plus a 4% raise, according to documents obtained by NBC Connecticut Investigates.
In a video of that July 16, 2020 meeting, Knorr admits he approved the increases on his own.
“I recall last year we voted on authorizing you to make those adjustments. I don’t recall us having that discussion this year," Selectman Tim Potrikus said.
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"No we didn’t have that discussion this year. What we did was we implemented a performance appraisal system and based upon that appraisal system, I deal with these people every day, I went ahead and made those decisions," Knorr responded.
Knorr would not give NBC Connecticut an interview about the raises and bonuses, including questions about who got the performance reviews, who gave them, and how in-depth they were.
He told the board he does not want to underpay town employees, so Somers can retain key people.
Knorr, who did not get a pay increase or bonus last year, agreed going forward he would not make these decisions unilaterally, something welcomed by his fellow selectmen, including Tim Keeney.
“It’s important that we all be involved, because it makes it just not one person’s views.”
