Town administrators and the select board told the Millis Finance Committee on April 9 that they intend to create a human resources department in FY26 to centralize employee administration, benefits management and public‑records work.

The select board recommended the HR reorganization as part of the FY26 personnel plan. The proposal presented to the finance committee would add two full‑time positions (an HR director and an HR generalist), upgrade the current municipal benefits administrator position to an HR generalist, and add an 18‑hour‑per‑week departmental assistant at the school to cover administrative workload. Meeting materials indicate start‑up equipment and one‑time costs will be absorbed in current budgets for FY26 and that any additional expenses could be considered at the fall town meeting if needed.

Town staff explained the change as a response to growing workload and compliance demands. The presentation said public‑records request volume has risen from a few per month to multiple requests per week and that managing, triaging and producing those requests has become a significant time sink for multiple departments. To address that workload, the personnel plan includes a $5,200 annual stipend for the public records officer.

Other personnel plan adjustments recommended to align municipal non‑union pay with recent union contracts include standardizing step increases to a 2.5 percent step, removing the current step 1 and adding a new final step (step 10) that mirrors recently ratified union language, increasing longevity payments by $100 steps where applicable, adjusting bereavement leave language (adding grandchild and domestic partner, expanding immediate‑family bereavement from three to five days), and granting a 2.5 percent cost‑of‑living adjustment to positions covered by the plan.

During the meeting some finance committee members questioned priorities — for example whether a new HR department should compete with hiring additional public‑safety or field staff — and several members said they wanted to see details about recurring HR costs (equipment, software, subscriptions) and how the role would produce savings. Town staff said they expect the HR positions to improve contract and benefits administration, reduce liability and to find savings in the medium term through purchasing and benefits management; staff said they would absorb one‑time start‑up costs in FY26 and monitor operations thereafter.

The personnel plan and HR reorganization were recommended by the select board to the finance committee for review ahead of town meeting. The finance committee will consider final recommendations in advance of the annual town meeting; no formal committee vote was recorded on April 9.