Trustee suggests abolishing local pay board

Photo: (c) Don Howard/Associated Newspapers of Michigan

Feb. 2, 2016  PLYMOUTH EAGLE.

Plymouth Michigan News

A proposal from Plymouth Township Trustee Mike Kelly to abolish the Local Compensation Commission met with discussion but no action from fellow board members last week.

The five-member commission, by state law, meets in odd-numbered years to recommend salary levels for township officials. The commission members did not meet in 2015 and therefore did not issue a recommendation for 2016 and 2017. State law also dictates that the recommendations of the commission become effective unless rejected by a two-thirds vote of the board of trustees.

Supervisor Shannon Price said attempts to schedule a meeting in December were unsuccessful as the dates did not fit into commission members’ schedules. He added that two of the commission terms have expired and appointments to the commission should be made.

Because the commission did not meet or offer a recommendation, the salary for Price will remain at $111,384; Treasurer Ron Edwards and Clerk Nancy Conzelman will each be paid $104,959 annually and the trustees will each be paid $11,921.

Kelly, who said he proposed dismantling the commission because of his frustration with the system that automatically approves any recommended raises, said he was “OK” with the current salary levels until 2018. Kelly, Trustee Bob Doroshewitz and Trustee Chuck Curmi voted against the raises the commission recommended in 2013 for 2014 and 2015. Then Supervisor Richard Reaume, Edwards, Conzelman and the late trustee Kay Arnold voted in favor of the raises, which were 4.5 percent for the supervisor, 3.5 percent for the clerk and treasurer and 1.5 percent for trustees for each of the two years.

Plymouth Voice.