Dear Editor,
(In response to, ‘Atlas Township inks budget for 2011-12,? The Citizen, March 26, page 4):
The one thing I found most interesting was the fact that the township board of trustees will take $90,478 from our fund balance to cover the Genesee County Sheriff Dept. 2011 contract.
They are also giving both deputies, clerk, and treasurer a $2,000/year pay raise. What is the reason for the pay hike? Atlas Township Clerk Tere Onica said, ‘The budget supported the increase in pay.? What does that mean? We have extra funds to give raises but not funds for our police coverage?
What about eliminating the $5,000 budget item for the supervisor deputy? That item has been part of the budget for the past three years, even though it hasn’t been spent. Why eliminate it now?
Clerk Onica said, ‘There’s no job description. How can you support paying for a position that does not exist?? Well, actually, it does exist. The previous supervisor had a deputy. Not a full-time one, but one nonetheless, so there must be a position somewhere.
Here is one more bit of information that I don’t think people are aware of: Our full-time Atlas Township fire chief is only making $16,000 a year. That is $4,000 less than the deputy clerk and $2,000 less than the deputy treasurer.
Am I the only one that thinks there is something wrong with this?
Beth Forys