Township Board Meeting Tonight To Give Themselves a Pay Raise

It’s not many times I get to cross post stuff from Stop Governing Like This to here.  Mostly it’s because I don’t want there to appear to be a conflict of interest.  But as a fiscal conservative (and a proponent of the Kernan-Shepard Report), this should irritate more than just me.

Something is still amiss in Washington Township in Marion County (yes, still on a Marion County theme.  Sorry, Jen and I live and work in and around Marion County).  The board is meeting tonight to give themselves quite a nice raise just for having a required four meetings a year.

From Abdul’s Indiana Barrister:

The Board meets this Thursday at 6:15 p.m. at the Trustee’s Office at 1595 E. 86th Street to vote on its budget. That budget includes a nice big pay raise. The raise would take the part-time advisory board’s salary from $2200 to $3800 annually.

The township board is only required to meet four times a year, so in theory these guys are techinically making $950.00 a meeting. And remember, the township doesn’t have a fire department to manage anymore. So there’s nothing like a near 70-percent raise when you have 80-percent less work to supervise.

Nice work if you can get it.

It also turns out there is going to be a silent protest being led by tax activist Penny Bigelow at the meeting tonight as well. Why silent? Apparently the law states that no public comment will be allowed at this meeting.

But Penny is objecting to more than just the Township Board’s pay increase. Oh no! She has forwarded me an entire petition that exposes the gross use of tax payer dollars and shines a bright light, whether intended or not, on ineffectiveness of township government.

(Read the petition after the leap)

OBJECTION PETITION to the
2009 Washington Township Budget, Tax Rate and Tax Levy

This Objection Petition is regarding the 2009 Budget, Tax Rate and Tax Levy, dated October 28, 2008 and published October 31, 2008 in the Court and Commercial Record, and the modifications by two Resolutions passed by the Board on November 10, 2008.

1.  2009 Budget

a. We object to excessive salaries and benefits in Personal Services for Township Fund - General Government.

i.      “Chief of Staff”
We object to the position of township “Chief of Staff”, as currently defined.  This position earns $47,277 plus benefits, yet has no staff and no written or defined job description, including number of work hours per week.  This position does not process payroll and financial accounting.  Thus, we object to the high pay for an entry-level, unskilled position.

ii.      The Board compensation
We object to the excessive 69% increase to the Board members compensation, per the November 10, 2008 resolution.

iii.      Benefits
We object to the Health/Dental/Vision/Life/Disability excessive benefits.  The 2009 budget calls for $41,639 in this category for only two people, the Trustee and the Chief of Staff.

We object to excessive 2009 appropriations in Other Services and Charges for Township Fund - General Government line items as follows:

i.      Legal Services

ii.      Other Professional Services

iii.      Dues/Seminars

2.  Resolutions of November 10, 2008.

Two resolutions were presented at the November 10 Public Hearing meeting without advance notification to at least three Board Members; additionally, there was no advertised public notice.  Yet, these resolutions were passed 4-3. We object to these:

Resolution to increase Washington Township employees from the 3% proposed and published in the Record, to 4%.

Resolution to increase Washington Township Board Member compensation from the 3%, proposed and published, to a 69% increase, without additional duties.

3.  2009 Tax Rate and Tax Levy

We object to the proposed Tax Rate and Tax Levy with $3.4 million in the Washington Township Rainy Day Fund and with the above excessive expenditures.

SUMMARY:
We are objecting to the Washington Township Trustee and Board for not keeping excessive costs under control and not spending down the Rainy Day Fund for the benefit of Washington Township taxpayers.

Insane?  You bet!  Let’s hope that the General Assembly listened to the voters on November 4th and takes an axe to the rest of a needless and costly layer of government.