No Stipend Hike For Simsbury First Selectman: Board

SIMSBURY, CT — The town's highest elected body last week unanimously approved the annual stipend for the town's top elected official — with no increase.

With a unanimous vote, the Simsbury Board of Selectmen voted 5-0 to keep the first selectman's stipend at $10,000 annually.

Before the board's discussion, Simsbury First Selectman Wendy Mackstutis recused herself from the room.

The approved stipend, which took effect Dec. 4, is the same amount awarded to the first selectman position in the prior, three terms of Mackstutis, which were 2017-19, 2019-21, and 2021-23. Mackstutis, a Democrat, was re-elected to another term last month.

Simsbury's town charter allows the board of selectmen to set the stipend rate every year.

Because Simsbury has a town manager form of government, the first selectman is not the chief executive officer of day-to-day town operations.

Rather, the first selectman position is the town's highest elected official and frequently represents the town at major state and municipal functions, as well as chairs selectmen meetings and attends subcommittee meetings.

The stipend is paid out to the first selectman in 12 equal parts monthly, which amounts to about $833 a month.

Since the $10,000 figure has not been changed in eight years, there was talk of increasing it by 12 percent, with Simsbury Deputy First Selectman Steven Antonio citing the increased cost of living.

The Democrat, appointed that same night to be the board's second-highest official, said clerical and supply expenses to prepare for meetings had increased.

"My main concern is that with everyone, there has been a significant change to the cost of living over the last eight years, which is the last time we've revisited this," Antonio said.

During the discussion, board members briefly discussed a 12 percent hike in the stipend.

But following comments from Republican Selectman Kevin Beal and Simsbury Interim Town Manager Lee Erdmann, the status quo vote was raised and approved.

Beal said the board's priority should be paying town staffers sufficiently to ensure stability in municipal operations.

"I'm very comfortable in making sure we pay our town staff well and what's the best way to recruit and retain high-quality folks," Beal said.

"I value the (first selectman) job and the role that it plays here. I think that a $10,000 stipend is appropriate."

Beal said if supply costs associated with meeting preparations were high, then the first selectman could seek reimbursement for expenses just like any town employee could.

Erdmann, meanwhile, said while Simsbury's first selectman-town manager form of government was unique among similar towns, he said it didn't differ from towns with mayor-town council forms of government.

And those towns, often, don't pay the mayor and/or council/selectmen chairpersons any stipend at all, he said.

"Although the form of government ... is fairly unique, the way I view it, the first selectman is the equivalent to mayor or chair of the council," Erdmann said. "Most of the communities do not pay a stipend for the chair of the council or the mayor or the first selectman."

In voting for the status quo stipend, the selectmen also agreed the issue could be revisited next year during budget deliberations.

For the minutes of the Dec. 4 Simsbury Board of Selectmen meeting, click on this link.