The stipends provided for the Harbor Beach mayor and city councilors have recently been raised after almost 30 years without any change in payment.
The mayor now receives $1,000 per year and $60 per each meeting, of which there are usually three in the year. The councilors will be paid $750 per year and $50 per meeting.
“It doesn’t add up to much, but it pays them a little bit for taking care of things,” said Harbor Beach City Director Ron Wruble.
The pay increase was decided by the city’s compensation board authority, a group of three appointees who are specifically tasked with addressing compensation levels for city officials. According to Wruble, it occurred to one of the board authority members that they should probably check the last time compensation for the mayor and council were addressed. This was when they found the compensation hadn’t changed in many years.
“Everyone was kind of surprised,” Wruble said. “They thought maybe five, eight years (since the compensation was updated). And then we got looking at the records and found it was ’95, almost 30 years.”
The board authority came up with a plan for raising compensation based on the compensation provided around the state by the Michigan Municipal League, a non-profit organization that provides financial help for most Michigan villages and cities. The plan was accepted by the council and put into effect.
Though the mayor and city council members all have jobs in Harbor Beach, their roles as public servants extend outside city meetings, so they’re given as much financial compensation as possible.
“If you’re an elected official, you’re an elected official 24/7,” Wruble remarked.
The current Harbor Beach City Council includes Mayor Kevin Guitar, Mayor Pro-Team Sam Capling, and council members Matt Woodke, Adam Wood, and Will Woodward.
Source : Michigans Thumb
