Cascade Charter Township board raises supervisor, clerk and treasurer pay after public comment

Cascade Charter Township trustees voted on Feb. 20 to raise several elected-official salaries after a public discussion and a comparative compensation study presented by township staff.

Manager Smith and the township HR director presented tables comparing Cascade’s elected-official pay to other Kent County townships and described three options: adopt pay changes directly in public session, establish a five-member elected-officials compensation commission to set pay, or decline changes. Manager Smith told the board the study showed trustees’ pay historically ranked high in the county while the clerk, treasurer and supervisor ranked lower among comparable communities.

Resident Nick Castro Ellis, 2985 Berwick, urged caution about the process, calling out draft resolutions that left salary fields blank and recommending separate votes and abstentions where appropriate: “I would suggest that the 4 resolutions be voted on separately and that the supervisor, treasurer, and trustees abstain when it comes to voting on adjustments to their annual pay,” he said.

Trustees ultimately adopted three separate resolutions to set salaries. Trustee Nordfeldt moved to set the treasurer’s salary at $43,000; after a roll-call vote the motion carried. The board then approved a $43,000 salary for the clerk by roll call. Trustee Nordfeldt’s motion to set the supervisor salary at $48,000 passed on a 5–2 roll-call vote.

Trustees debated using a compensation commission but several members preferred handling adjustments in open session. Legal counsel explained that a compensation commission, if established by resolution, would meet in odd-numbered years, file its determination with the clerk and the board would have 30 days to reject that determination; failing to act would allow the commission’s determination to take effect.

Board members acknowledged the political sensitivity of the topic. One trustee said the current pattern appeared to reflect historical decisions by earlier boards, noting trustee pay ranked “169% over the average trustee salary in the county” in the comparative data presented. Another emphasized the difficulty of recruiting qualified officers if wages remain low.

The board left trustee pay unchanged; staff noted no resolution was required to keep the current trustee salary in effect. The changes to the treasurer, clerk and supervisor salaries will take effect as set by the adopted resolutions.

The meeting proceeded to other agenda items including adoption of a parks ordinance and awards for tree plantings. The board later met in closed session to consult with counsel on pending litigation (Miller v. Cascade).