Milford Township officials need one more special meeting to iron out details on their new budget.

Questions arose, Wednesday night, as the Milford Township Board of Trustees had their 2019 proposed budget on the docket for approval. Much of the concern was around the pay scale for township staff. Trustee William Mazzara said the budget before him at the meeting was a higher budget than the one he remembered from their last work session.

The township brought in a consulting firm last year to do a salary study and bring staff and officials to a comparable level as similar municipalities. Mazzara said they implemented a step process for raises based on merit, with a 2% cost of living raise. But as he saw the numbers, nearly everyone was given the step with some township staff receiving double the 2% raise or more. He took issue with the deputy clerk’s wages, as it rose 19% from the current year. Supervisor Don Green and Township Clerk Holly Brandt said that wasn’t actually case. A new deputy clerk, they say, was hired since last year’s budget was made, and at a higher wage. This wage was never amended in the 2018 budget, so it just looks like a 19% increase.

Green had made a motion to pass the budget, but it failed to pass by a 2-2 vote. He and Brandt voted for approval, Mazzara and Trustee Dale Wiltse voted against. Treasurer Cynthia Dagenhardt, and Trustees Brien Worrell and Randall Busick were all absent on that evening before Thanksgiving. The Board has already had 6 budget work sessions and will now schedule a 7th as they only have one more regular meeting planned before it needs to be in place. (MK)