Palmer OKs pay raises for future officials amid debate over cost and principle

PALMER TWP., Pa. — Palmer Township supervisors narrowly voted Monday to increase salaries for the board and subcommittees, but not without a bit of pushback.

After no pay raises in about three decades, the board discussed a measure to bump salaries for new, incoming supervisors and committee members,

But at least two members were openly opposed to the change.

According to the amendment, supervisors will each see a bump from $4,125 per year to $6,915 per year

Planning, zoning and stormwater authority members will be paid $100 per meeting, and $50 for each work or deliberation session, as needed.

The new rates go into effect during the next election cycle, when they will be applied to new members and appointees. No siting members will get an increase unless they are re-elected.

'Leave the board out'

Supervisors Vice Chairman Jeffrey Young, along with board members K. Michael Mitchell and Charles E. Bellis II, voted in favor of the amendment.

Board Chairman Michael Brett and member Joseph Armato voted against it.

Armato first raised a question concerning whether the supervisors’ and the committees’ pay increases should be voted on as two separate measures.

Township solicitor William Oetinger responded that could be done, but the two amendments would need to be advertised separately before adoption.

Mitchell suggested “just go with the subcommittees and leave the board out,” though Oetinger explained again that any amendment to the amendment would require another advertisement.

Young stated, “I’m in favor of raising both.”

While pay raises in government are usually a touchy subject, in the case of Palmer, there' some justification, Oetinger said.

“The state maximum [compensation] has been the same since 1995," he said.

"I don't think Palmer was paying the state maximum necessarily, but the state maximum hasn't changed as in an increase for inflation.

"It's been the exact same number, you know? So that's the number that you guys, that this board, is compensating right now."

When the question of cost came up, Ellis explained that because of the nature of the supervisors’ election cycle, the overall impact per year would be relatively small.

“It would be an increase of $2,790 for five supervisors, it will be $13,900 per year," he said. The 18 people included the subcommittees would be $1,350 per month, or $16,200 a year, for a total of $30,100.

“You divide that out by six years, which it would take that long to cycle all the way through, because nobody would get it until they either get a re-elected or be reappointed, we were talking about $5,117 a year of an increase till it cycles through,” he said.

Issues with attendance

Resident Chuck Diefenderfer said that while he was not concerned over costs, he did worry about board or committee members getting quarterly allocations even if they missed meetings.

“What they've actually done in the state legislation, when they changed it, is now they allow it to be done on a per meeting basis," Diefenderfer said.

"And that has to be adopted by the governing body that kind of holds people to make sure that they attend the meetings.

"Because it's been pretty bad at some of the local municipalities, where people have been blowing off quite a few of the meetings."

Oetinger said that while the measure Diefenderfer referenced made it easier to dock pay in case of missed meetings, the board ultimately decided that the question of excused versus unexcused absences was not a problem they have seen among their officials.

Diefenderfer said that Wilson and Easton City Council had seen some attendance issues recently, and worried not about the current legislators and workers in Palmer, but those in the future who could take advantage of the system.

'Pennies add up to dollars'

Following the meeting, Armato said he felt the increases for committee members were warranted.

"We have people on these boards that are of a caliber that you couldn’t ask for better," he said. "Unbelievably brilliant people that volunteer their time and their efforts.”

Serving as a supervisor, though, he said, was more akin to seeing the position as a matter of public service.

“Nobody on this board, or who was ever sat on this board, does this because they need the income,” Armato said.

“My philosophy is, you know, you're going to go from $4,000 a year to $7,000 a year. That's a substantial bump. That money may pay for two e-bikes.

"We're looking at a $20 million bill for new police station, and I'm from the old school, you know: Pennies add up to dollars, dollars to hundreds, hundreds to thousands.”