HOWELL – The Howell Township Council have made the decision to abandon the idea of a salary raise after tabling an ordinance that proposed a 60% increase.
At the February 1 meeting, four members of the governing body voted to table the ordinance, leaving them at their current salary range.
The ordinance was first introduced on January 18. At that meeting, Republican Deputy Mayor Pamela Richmond, Republican Councilwoman Evelyn O’Donnell and Republican Councilwoman Suzanne Brennan voted “yes” on a motion to introduce the ordinance. Democratic Mayor Theresa Berger and Democratic Councilman John Bonevich voted “no” against the salary raise.
The ordinance states that the council members’ pay range would change from $0 to $7,500 annually to $7,500 to $12,000 annually, retroactive to January 1. In addition, the change includes a 2% raise in salary annually for council members once they hit the $12,000 threshold. Currently, each member of the council is already at the maximum rate of $7,500.
According to the ordinance, newly elected or appointed members of the council will be compensated the same amount as all other members.
During the February 1 council meeting, a public hearing and possible vote to adopt the ordinance was scheduled however it was eventually tabled. Berger, Richmond, O’Donnell and Brennan were present at the meeting. Bonevich was absent.
The ordinance has been a major topic discussed between the council. O’Donnell said she believed that the ordinance was “really politicized, to an unbelievable extent.”
“I would like to say that when this first started, I thought of this as a forward-thinking policy, putting a salary guide in place for the future, which again would be something forward-thinking,” O’Donnell said. “However, we could not even get this first reading (of the ordinance) unified by a vote and that is sad because … what it means is I think it turned very political.”
O’Donnell added how she’s concerned that Bonevich has an “issue with serving two masters.”
“Unfortunately, and I don’t know if this is a factor, but I know the mayor has a very good living with $500,000. John Bonevich is also receiving money from the mayor’s company. So I don’t know if that factors into their ‘no’ vote of the salary ordinance. I would hope not.”
“I don’t know if Councilman Bonevich has an issue with serving two masters, but he certainly does seem to vote along the same lines as the mayor,” O’Donnell added.
“With that entailed, I would suggest to this council that we forgo having a second reading until such time as this can be looked in the light it should be looked at, and that is a forward-thinking policy, a salary guide based on all of the right things and not a political football,” O’Donnell said.
Berger retaliated saying “I don’t have to apologize because I am a successful businesswoman. I don’t have to, there is no reason for that. My salary has nothing to do with what I do as a mayor.”
Although not present, Bonevich said at the previous meeting how he believes the council members should be focusing on other matters in the town rather than a salary raise.
O’Donnell made a motion to remove the salary ordinance from the meeting agenda. Berger, O’Donnell, Richmond and Brennan voted to table the ordinance.
Although there was no public hearing on the matter, residents still made comments on the salary ordinance during the public comment portion of the meeting.
Many residents voiced their concerns with O’Donnell’s remarks regarding Berger’s salary outside of the governing body and said her comment on Bonevich “serving two masters” was derogatory.
O’Donnell responded saying, “My concern when I spoke about withdrawing the (salary ordinance) is that this is causing so much discourse in this town that I don’t feel it is in the best interest of the town and that’s really why I want to pull it” from the agenda.
