Township Employee Pay Raises

Dennis Benner: I’m of the opinion that it’s a larger question. The larger question is, is there bloat within a governmental body itself? If so, I think that needs to be looked at. I don’t know what the salary levels are within this community. I know that there are expenditures that I think are out of line. I think the question needs to be viewed in a broader way. Do I think that anyone is exempt from marketplace conditions? I don’t think they are. I know that we represent a number of businesses and a number of people throughout the region here, and policies and procedures that affect people.  It’s easy to talk from 30,000 feet away about jobs and the rest of it, but it really hits home when you’re the one who gets the pink slip. When you get the pink slip it has a different meaning to you. So, I think that when that occurs people become less tolerant of waste. And I’m about eliminating waste.

Bruce F. Carstensen: It is a recession; I haven’t had a pay raise in more years that I’d like to admit. So my feelings on that is that township employees are not exempt from recession or any other economic issue, and that their raises, to the extent that they can be controlled, should reflect the nature of the economy.

Patrick M. Leonard: I don’t have a lot of information, but I do know there are other states and municipalities that do make salaries based on the CPI (Consumer Price Index). It’s very possible we could do that. I want to see how they’re being reviewed, how they’re being evaluated to try and put some basics together on employee salaries.

Editor’s Note: Answers have been edited for clarity and grammar. Content has remained unchanged.