Budget problems continued to disrupt Township business last week.
Citing budgetary concerns, the Township Board voted unanimously Jan. 2 to table a salary proposal for elected and non-union employees.
The proposal, submitted to the board by Supervisor David Wagner, includes a 2.5-percent pay raise for elected officials and 3-percent raise for non-union employees. The rate of inflation is 3 percent this year.
‘I think it is important that we try to keep the pay at the appropriate level,? Wagner said in a memo to the Township Board.
‘As you know our township is growing by leaps and bounds and it is important that we are able to attract quality people to run for office.?
Tabling the proposal was the only reasonable thing to do, given budget workshops this week and in February, said Trustee Daniel Kelly.
The budget, which is in deficit, was approved Dec. 5 with the understanding that it would be reviewed at two budget workshops early this year. The first was set for yesterday, and the next for Feb. 13.
The Township Board should have addressed these issues last year, instead of approving the budget on a preliminary basis, said Kelly, who voted against approving the budget at the time.
‘Now we have to rework the entire budget,? he said.
Treasurer James Wenger called for a freeze for elected officials? salaries.
‘There’s a lot of uncertainty with state-shared revenues,? Wenger said.
Health care and retirement costs are also being studied, he said.
Township employees deserve the pay increases, said Trustee Larry Rosso.
‘Raises are definitely merited,? Rosso said. ‘We simply don’t have the means and wherewithal to do this with the unsettled budget we have at this time.?
Annual salaries for the Township range from $41,000 to $75,217 for the supervisor, a fulltime position. The two other fulltime Township Board members, the treasurer and Clerk Shelagh Vanderveen, each earn a salary of $67,155.09. Trustees, which are part-time positions, earn a salary of $4,726.31 per year.
Proposed salary increases would raise salaries to about $42,000 to $77,000. Added together, the pay raises equal $43,047.03. Pay for non-union employees would be retroactive to Jan. 1. However, pay for elected officials would not.
Check out our website at www.ClarkstonNews.com to see what happened at this week’s budget workshop. The Feb. 13 workshop is set for 6 p.m. at Fire Station #1, 6500 Citation Drive