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New Franklin council rejects $5,000 stipend for finance director after year-end work debate
Summary
On Feb. 19, 2025, the New Franklin City Council voted against Resolution 25R07, which would have paid Finance Director Susan Cook a $5,000 stipend for extra hours worked closing out 2024 and opening 2025. Councilmembers debated the amount, the calculation method and process transparency before the measure failed on a roll call vote.
New Franklin—ity Council voted on Feb. 19, 2025, to reject Resolution 25R07, which would have authorized a $5,000 stipend to Finance Director Susan Cook as compensation for additional hours worked during year-end 2024 and year-opening 2025.
Council members discussed that December and January are the busiest months for the finance department and that the retirement of a long-time employee left staff short-handed during the close-out and payroll processes. Council materials and speakers at the meeting described estimates that Cook worked an estimated 15 to 20 hours of overtime per week across the busiest period; at an overtime rate noted in the meeting of $50 per hour, those estimates were calculated in the meeting as roughly $6,750 to $9,000 over nine weeks, and the $5,000 stipend was presented as a compromise figure.
The nut of the council debate centered on whether a lump-sum stipend was appropriate, how the amount was chosen and whether the matter should have been discussed in public or in executive session. The council took a roll-call vote on adopting the resolution; the measure failed by roll call with Councilwoman Jones voting yes and six council members voting no.
Finance Director Susan Cook spoke briefly after the vote. "I did not do this for you guys. I did it for the citizens of New Franklin because they needed it and for the employees here," she said, describing the extra hours she worked to meet federal and state reporting and payroll deadlines over the holidays.
Supporters of the stipend pointed to the temporary loss of staff after the retirement of Diane Snyder (retirement effective Nov. 30) and to the specialized HR and financial expertise Cook provided while the department was short-staffed. Opponents raised concerns about precedent, the selection of an arbitrary stipend amount rather than tracked overtime, and the timing of the discussion. At least one councilmember expressed disappointment that objections had not been aired publicly earlier in the process.
The rejection of 25R07 leaves the city without the one-time payment; council members did not take a substitute motion at the meeting to change the amount or to direct staff to return with additional documentation.
Council business moved on to other agenda items after the vote, including water infrastructure and budget transfers.
