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Select Board rejects automatic 3% annual stipend increase
Summary
The Hull Select Board voted down a motion to establish an automatic 3% yearly increase to select‑board stipends after members described the payment as an honorarium and expressed concern about raising volunteer compensation.
Jerry, a select‑board member, proposed an automatic 3% annual increase to the select‑board stipend and moved the motion at the meeting. "I would like to make a motion that there is a automatic 3% yearly increase in the select board salary," Jerry said before members debated the proposal.
Board discussion focused on whether the stipend functions as a salary or an honorarium. Several members said they consider the payment a voluntary honorarium and cautioned that an increase could be a poor public signal for a largely volunteer role. One member noted that comparable towns pay a range of stipends and that larger communities pay more, but the board ultimately agreed the increase was not appropriate.
The motion was seconded and put to a vote; it failed by a 3‑to‑1 margin. The board did not amend the stipend schedule at this meeting.
The item concluded with members agreeing to revisit compensation policy if circumstances change, but no substantive follow‑up action or direction to staff was recorded.
