Charter attorney proposes hybrid salary-plus-per‑diem for council; commission asks for more work

Charter counsel presented draft language on Feb. 18 to restructure City Council pay with a base annual salary plus per‑diem payments tied to attendance at officially called meetings. Counsel described the draft as a hybrid model that would allow a local compensation commission to set the final amounts.

Attorney Kristen told the commission the draft used several placeholders to prompt discussion: an upper cap of 130 meetings per year for per‑diem eligibility and a suggestion that per‑diem payments make up about 25 percent of total annual compensation. Counsel also noted the proposal was not intended to start council pay at the current figure and then add to it; the present annual pay for council members was described in the meeting as approximately $29,000 and the draft would allow the compensation commission to restructure pay components.

Several commissioners objected to the per‑diem approach on administrative and equity grounds. Commissioner Bauer said a per‑diem system would be complicated to administer and risk turning attendance into a single measure of a council member’s value. “I do not support a per diem, and I will vote against it,” Bauer said. Other commissioners raised concerns that committee assignments vary widely in frequency and that council presidents or members with many committee posts would be advantaged; several asked for language ensuring committee and board assignments be distributed equitably.

Commissioners also asked for clarification of the implementation process: the commission asked how a local elected officers’ compensation commission (EOCC) would be constituted (it was noted in the meeting that the EOCC comprises seven registered electors appointed by the mayor and confirmed by a majority of council) and how an initial EOCC recommendation could be prevented from simply maintaining the status quo. Counsel proposed a provision that would bar the council from rejecting the EOCC’s first determination so the new system would be implemented rather than reverting automatically to the prior compensation model.

The commission did not adopt final language and directed counsel to redraft, answering specific questions about meeting caps, how to ensure equitable assignment of committee work, whether the per‑diem should be limited to one per day, and the mechanics of EOCC appointments and first‑time implementation. Commissioners asked staff to consult Ingham County and other municipalities about practical limits and administrative practices before returning with revised language.

Key details noted at the meeting: - Current council compensation cited in the presentation: about $29,000 per year (described as current annual pay; counsel said the draft was not intended simply to start at that number and add per‑diems). - Draft placeholders discussed: 130 meeting cap for per‑diems; per‑diems proposed to comprise roughly 25% of total compensation. - EOCC (Elected Officers’ Compensation Commission) composition noted: seven registered electors appointed by the mayor, subject to council confirmation (per local ordinance). No final vote was taken.