BY LARRY SOBCZAK
EDITOR
Big raises may be in the near future for elected officials in Romeo.
The Romeo Board of Trustees is expected to consider an ordinance amendment at its October meeting that would significantly increase the salaries of the village president, clerk and treasurer.
Under a resolution passed at the Sept. 20 meeting instructing Romeo Village Attorney Mark Clark to draft an amendment to the elected official’s salary ordinance, President Christine Malzahn’s salary would nearly double from $30,000 a year to $58,240 a year, Clerk Katherine Trapp’s salary would increase by 20 percent from $40,000 to $48,400 a year and Treasurer Sherri Maddox’s salary would increase by 20 percent from $30,000 to $36,400 a year.
Under Michigan law, the salaries of elected officials in villages must be written into an ordinance.
Voting in favor of drafting the ordinance amendment to increase the salaries were Malzahn as well as trustees Nathan Bartholomew, Matt Edwards and Bob Hart.
Voting against the increase were trustees Zach Fowler, Justin Parker and Meagan Poznanski.
The resolution approved by the board immediately increased the salary of the department of public works supervisor from $69,000 a year to $77,000 a year and increased the salary of the chief of police from $69,000 a year to $79,000.
Three full-time non-union employees also had their pay increased by 20 percent.
The lowest pay increase was 75 cents per hour for first year, part-time dispatchers who saw their pay increase from $11.75 per hour to $12.50 per hour.
Parker was critical of Malzahn’s vote to draft a pay increase in the ordinance.
“You just gave yourself a $28,000 a year increase,” he said.
Malzahn defended her proposed pay increase from an effective rate of $14.42 per hour to $28 per hour.
“I find it extremely hypocritical that you would expect the president of your village to supervise these supervisors who are clearly making more than the $28 an hour that is requested,” Malzahn said. “And for you to scoff at that clearly shows the political motivations behind your decision.”
At the beginning of the discussion, Fowler said that he was against considering the pay increases because the board was in contract negotiations with its police officers union and the raises could undermine their bargaining position.
“This goes against the advice of legal counsel,” he said.
The board adjourned into closed session shortly after the vote on non-union employees and elected officials’ salaries to discuss the union contracts.
Malzahn’s raise was the second significant raise the board of trustees granted her during her first term in office which began in November 2018.
In December 2018, the board of trustees granted her a $27,000 a year raise.
The board of trustees next meeting is 7 p.m., Monday, Oct. 18 at the Romeo Community Center, 361 Morton Street.
