ML council adopts budget over pay raise objections

The Medical Lake City Council adopted its 2016 budget at their final meeting in 2015 on Dec. 15, but not before a little rearranging of their agenda.

The council voted to move consideration of the second reading of the city’s ordinance setting the salaries and compensation for city employees and appointed officers for 2016 from the end of the meeting to the beginning after hearing from former council member Lahnie Henderson. Henderson read a letter during the citizen’s comment portion of the meeting voicing her and husband Aubrey’s opposition to a proposed pay increase for council members from $200 to $250 a month included in the ordinance.

Henderson noted there are 20 council meetings throughout the year, and members are required to also attend only one or two of four separate committee meetings a month. Her check of meeting minutes from 2014 indicated there were 25 total absences ranging from 2 – 9 per each council member, and 18 total absences in 2015 through the Nov. 3 meeting.

Henderson said the city spends $1,400 a month paying the current seven council members, which would increase to $1,750 a month under the proposal.

“Both offer an excellent hourly rate, no matter the number of meetings attended,” Henderson wrote. “Remember, if the council member has an ‘excused’ absence, they are paid. It appears there is no penalty or deduction from salary when they are absent.”

Henderson pointed out many citizens are not receiving any pay increase. She recommended council pay remain the same and any monies be transferred to the fire and police departments.

Councilman Art Kulibert, who was attending his final meeting before stepping down, said the first time he served on council in the late 1990s, the pay was $100. He added council members are available to residents all the time, and don’t just attend meetings.

“We don’t know what a person is giving up to attend a meeting,” Kulibert said, adding during a term years ago, his work schedule wouldn’t allow him to attend meetings without forgoing being paid, causing him to lose what he estimated was $300 – $500 in salary to attend meetings.

“What is the value of everybody’s time?” Councilman John Paikuli asked. “How do we measure that?”

Paikuli added that by being at the Dec. 15 meeting he was missing his son’s wrestling match, which was taking place in Cheney at the same time.

“I’m not doing this for the money,” Paikuli said. “There’s better ways to make an extra 50 bucks.”

City Administrator Doug Ross told the council the increase was Mayor John Higgins idea. Ross added the last time the council’s pay was increased was in 2004.

“The mayor just thought in 11 years, $50 wasn’t too much,” he said.

The majority of the rest of the council agreed; voting 4-1 to approve the salary and compensation ordinance. Councilman AJ Burton was the lone dissenting vote, and council members Howard Jorgenson and Laura Parsons were absent.

After holding a last, short hearing where no further public testimony was given, the council unanimously approved the city’s $9.52 million 2016 budget. Council also adopted two separate resolutions in support of the budget.

The first set administrative fees and charges for the coming year. The resolution included raising the youth sports fee to $40, including tax, from $35 plus tax; changing the yoga class fee to allow it to be set by the instructor, and raising the yearly amount the city charges for use of its firing range from $1,000 to $2,500.

Council also approved a resolution setting the utility fees for 2016. The resolution adds the option of a 20-gallon trash container and accompanying monthly fee of $15.62, and a non-mandatory 96-gallon yard waste container for $15 a month.

“It’s an option for those who don’t want to go to the (yard waste) trailer,” Ross said.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].