Town board aligns employee phone stipend with actual plan costs, OKs tablets for water department

The Grand Island Town Board voted to adjust employee cell-phone stipends to match the town’s negotiated service rates and agreed that the water and wastewater department may receive tablets for field work rather than individual cellular stipends.

Board members said town staff currently pay roughly $31.25 per month for full service and $17.16 for talk-and-text plans under the town's new negotiated rates, and they amended a motion to set the stipend amounts accordingly. The board discussed that the stipend should be a reimbursement for work-related costs rather than a source of extra cash to employees and that the stipend level should be revisited annually.

Members also discussed that tablets are an appropriate alternative for some field employees and that the department should specify how many tablets are needed and the up-front and recurring costs. One board member recommended that tablets be drawn from the department’s budget if appropriate and that the board revisit stipend levels next year.

Action: a motion was made, amended and seconded to set town stipends to $31.25 per month for full access and $17.16 per month for talk-and-text; the board voted in favor. The board also authorized using departmental budget funds to provide tablets for the water and wastewater staff and directed staff (including Corinne) to return with a list of the number of devices and exact costs for final approval at a future meeting.

No changes to employee handbook text were finalized at this meeting; board members asked staff to prepare a draft policy for a future meeting so stipends can be indexed to the town’s plan rate on an annual basis.