Board approves raising trustee stipend to $500 after debate over restoring prior level

Trustees debated whether to restore the board stipend to its prior calculated amount of $441 or to round the monthly stipend to $500. Trustee discussion referenced the calculation method (ADA plus annual adjustments) and practical considerations such as rounding and cost of monthly expenses.

Trustee Freiburg (vice president) moved to set the stipend at $500; the motion was seconded. "I, wanna put a new motion forward for the amount of $500," Trustee Freiburg said. An earlier motion to restore the $441 figure failed on a roll call, after which the $500 motion passed following aye votes and a roll-call sequence recorded by the board.

Trustees said the choice to increase the stipend is ultimately a board decision and noted that members could also choose to amend if they wished to adopt a different amount. In debate, one trustee described the $500 figure as a practical rounding to offset monthly costs such as printing and mileage and to simplify administration. The board president called the vote and recorded the motion as passed.

Why it matters: stipend levels affect trustee reimbursements for service-related expenses and reflect a governance choice about modest compensation for board duties. The discussion also surfaced questions about prior governance-session expectations and the importance of clear recordkeeping for agreed changes.

What’s next: the board approved the adjustment and staff will update stipend records. The transcript does not provide an exact numeric roll-call tally attributable to each named trustee; the meeting record shows the motion passed after an aye vote sequence.