[MCOA41]

Brimfield gives police chief raise
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
By KIM RING
[email protected]

BRIMFIELD - Though he is still finishing an extended probationary period, the town's police chief will earn 150 percent more in fiscal year 2005 after voters handed him a pay raise at Monday's annual Town Meeting but nixed the chance to do the same for the town's fire chief.

Charles T. Kuss will see an increase from $6,282 to $15,704 starting July 1. Kuss said that while he's paid a salary based on a four-hour work week, he spends more time than that at his post and voters agreed to fund the increase.

Kuss is finishing up the requirements to become certified as a chief in Massachusetts, something that has taken longer than he planned and has forced selectmen to twice extend his probationary period.

Must be nice. He gets a 150% raise is not realy a chief yet and has a labor dispute going on with PO's removed before he got hired. NICE

 

[MVS]

I believe the "dispute" is against the Town, not the Chief. The PO's were already gone well before he was hired. But it's still F'd up since he's still not "fully certified" yet, and he should not have been appointed if he didn't have it.

Maybe BPD747 will chime in??

 

[KCARPY911]

Its actually just the "police officer" certification that was in question. Not specifically a police chief certification.

 

[WBPD628]

We didn't have a problem with hiring Chief Kuss. He actually recommended that all of the officers be reappointed, however, the Selectmen wouldn't have that (even though they went all over the media and stated that they wanted the new chief to pick his staff).

I will say that I was a little upset that he bad mouthed the past chief stating that his work product was low. That statement is so far from the truth.

As far as his certification, it appears that he made little effort to gain a waiver in a timely manner. Not to mention that he portrayed himself as a certified police officer to Brimfield as well as other towns that he was seeking employment. I am a little troubled that he is dressed in a full police uniform, driving a marked cruiser and performing traffic duties when he has NO powers as a police officer.

Well, I wish him luck. He's going to need it. It's only going to be a matter of time before the Selectmen turn on him like they have with past chiefs.

 

[mpd61]

Yeesh,

Sounds like the perfect job for retired prior service FT cops. Only four hours a week?
That's like $72 bucks an hour. Where do I sign up?
8)