HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-11-05
MINUTES OF THE TWENTY-NINTH MEETING OF THE
LOCAL OFFICERS COMPENSATION COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF LIVONIA
On November 5, 2015, the above meeting was held at the Livonia City Hall, 33000
Civic Center Drive, Livonia, Michigan, and was called to order by Glen Long, Jr., the
Acting Chairperson, at 7:00 p.m. Roll was called with the following result:
MEMBERS PRESENT: Dillon Breen
Glen Long, Jr.
Michael Marihugh
John Murphy
Maureen Simari
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Jack Kirksey, Mayor
Susan A. Hoff, City Clerk
David Veselenak, Livonia Observer
On a motion by Murphy, seconded by Breen, and unanimously adopted, it was:
#01-15 RESOLVED, that the minutes of the June 4, 2013, Local
Officers Compensation Commission Meeting are hereby approved as
submitted.
On a motion by Murphy, seconded by Marihugh, and unanimously adopted, it was:
#02-15 RESOLVED, that Glen Long, Jr. is elected to serve as
Chairperson of the Local Officers Compensation Commission for the year
2015.
On a motion by Marihugh, seconded by Simari, and unanimously adopted, it was:
#03-15 RESOLVED, that John Murphy is elected to serve as Vice
Chairperson of the Local Officers Compensation Commission for the year
2015.
Handouts were provided to the Commissioners relative to salaries for Conference of
Western Wayne communities’ elected officials. They were also provided a list of current
Minutes of the Local Officers Compensation Commission
Meeting of November 5, 2015 2
salaries for City of Livonia elected officials and a list of some of the current union pay
increases bargained for over the previous three years.
Mayor Kirksey addressed the Commission and requested that he have a chance to speak
relative to the salaries of each office as they were presented on the agenda.
For the benefit of the two new members recently appointed to the Commission the
process and duties of the Commission were explained. Commissioner Long stressed that
Livonia should be competitive and the salary offered should be comparable to that offered
in similar size communities such as Dearborn and Canton, with Canton being the
community that was most similar in size and make-up. Commissioner Murphy said that
the fact that our community does not have both a Mayor and a City Manager, as some
communities, do should be taken into consideration. We require our Mayor to wear many
hats. The Commission also needs to be aware of ongoing or upcoming union contract
negotiations.
Commissioner Long mentioned that with term limits, retirement benefits really couldn’t be
considered a part of the salary. He also stated that the disparity in pay between Treasurer
and Clerk has been rectified by increases given over the past 2-4 years. The Commission
was also reminded that they are recommending pay for the “position” and not for the
“person”.
The Mayor responded to questions regarding the rate of increases for the various unions
for the past few years. He mentioned that the City as a whole and especially the
Department of Public Works has reduced the number of job classifications. Since 2007
the total number of employees of the City of Livonia has gone from 750 to approximately
600. He also stated that property values have increased citywide and the vacancy rates
are better than they had been in recent years.
The discussion continued regarding the salary for Mayor. It was mentioned that currently
the Mayor’s salary is behind that of several department heads including the Chief of Police
and Fire Chief.
Commissioner Long presented various scenarios on how a 2%, 3%, or 5% increase would
affect the current salary offered to the Mayor. The consensus was that a 5% increase per
year would reflect what they thought the Mayor’s salary should be.
On a motion by Murphy, seconded by Breen, and unanimously adopted, it was:
#04-15 RESOLVED, the Local Officers Compensation Commission
hereby determines to change the salary for the Office of the Mayor from its
current rate of $108,200, to the following, paid on a bi-weekly basis:
Effective January 1, 2016 $113,610
Effective January 1, 2017 $119,290
Minutes of the Local Officers Compensation Commission
Meeting of November 5, 2015 3
The Commissioners then discussed the salary of the City Council and the City Council
President. These are part-time positions and the compensation received compared to
other communities is above average. These positions are often seen as a way to serve
the community or as a gateway to other elected positions. A 2% increase per year was
presented.
On a motion by Simari, seconded by Marihugh, and unanimously adopted, it was:
#05-15 RESOLVED, the Local Officers Compensation Commission
hereby determines to change the salary for the City Council from its current
rate of $16,600, to the following, paid on a bi-weekly basis. An amount of
$200.00 will be deducted from this base salary for each Study Meeting,
Regular Meeting or Public Hearing missed by a Council member or the
Council President after a grace period of five (5) absences for any reason:
Effective January 1, 2016 $16,932
Effective January 1, 2017 $17,270
On a motion by Marihugh, seconded by Murphy, and unanimously adopted, it was:
#06-15 RESOLVED, the Local Officers Compensation Commission
hereby determines to change the salary for the City Council President from
its current rate of $17,800, to the following, paid on a bi-weekly basis. An
amount of $200.00 will be deducted from this base salary for each Study
Meeting, Regular Meeting or Public Hearing missed by a Council member
or the Council President after a grace period of five (5) absences for any
reason:
Effective January 1, 2016 $18,156
Effective January 1, 2017 $18,519
It was decided that a 2% increase for the City Clerk and the City Treasurer would also be
appropriate and that the two positions required similar duties and time and should stay at
an equal rate.
On a motion by Murphy, seconded by Marihugh, and unanimously adopted, it was:
#07-15 RESOLVED, the Local Officers Compensation Commission
hereby determines to change the salary for the Office of the City Clerk from
its current rate of $75,000, to the following, paid on a bi-weekly basis:
Effective January 1, 2016 $76,500
Effective January 1, 2017 $78,030
Minutes of the Local Officers Compensation Commission
Meeting of November 5, 2015 4
On a motion by Breen, seconded by Marihugh, and unanimously adopted, it was:
#08-15 RESOLVED, the Local Officers Compensation Commission
hereby determines to change the salary for the Office of the City Treasurer
from its current rate of $75,000, to the following, paid on a bi-weekly basis:
Effective January 1, 2016 $76,500
Effective January 1, 2017 $78,030
On a motion by Murphy, seconded by Marihugh, and unanimously adopted, the
meeting was adjourned at 7:58 p.m.
Glen Long, Jr., Chairperson
/sh