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Getting your moneyís worthBy Barbara Brown City council members and mayors get paid for the time they spend leading the communities they serve and making decisions for their constituency. Council members in North Branch, Stacy and Lent Township are asked to submit payment requests that denote meetings they attended, special committees they worked with and other city-related business. For North Branch council members, each is paid $45 per meeting, including special meetings and work sessions. The mayor is paid $50 per meeting. The council members and mayor also receive $35 per committee meeting. Some committees include land use, personnel, budget, economic development, parks and liquor store. Former Mayor John Pinsonneault requested payments on a monthly basis, according to City Clerk Bridgitte Konrad. During 2001, Pinsonneault received a total of $5,960 for 45 council meetings and 106 committee meetings he attended. Some of the pay also came from other mayoral duty meetings including meetings with school district representatives and fire department personnel. During 2001, council member Roger Else, who is now mayor, requested $4,415 for 46 council meetings and 67 committee meetings. Member Rod Lofquist requested payment for 43 council meetings and 56 committee meetings totaling $3,895. John Pace Jr. requested $2,790 for 41 council meetings and 27 committee meetings he attended in 2001. Member Amy Oehlers asked for $2,500 to pay for the 44 council meetings and 17 committee meetings she attended. North Branchís population was listed at 8,023 from the 2000 Census, Konrad said. In Lent Township, supervisors receive $40 per meeting, $10 an hour for time spent on township business but not a council meeting and mileage reimbursement of 32 cents per mile. Population in Lent is about 2,800. For the past six months, the pay to supervisor chairman Monica Abress totaled $1,257.46 for 24 meetings, mileage, 39 hours for other work and another reimbursement. Supervisors Lyle Johnson and Gene Olson requested payments on a six-month schedule. Johnson received a total of $989.71 for 14 meetings, 21.5 hours of other work, mileage and reimbursement. City of Stacy council members receive $25 for in-town meetings and $30 for out-of-town meetings. The mayor is paid $30 per in-town meeting and $35 out-of-town. Stacyís population is about 1,278. Mayor Kathi Lawrence was paid $2,585 for about 65 meetings in 2001. For work in the last six months of 2001, former council member Connie Donahue received $630 and member John Walz was paid $640. Member Barb Otterson received $680 and member Katie Davidson received $685 for work in the last six months of 2001. North Branch Mayor Roger Else said he could ask for more money, but he believes a lot of the work he does comes for the city is just part of the job of being mayor. ìThereís stuff you donít even think about, you just do it,î Else said. Else cited ribbon cuttings, chamber of commerce meetings and daily trips to City Hall among other responsibilities. He said two recent meetings that he did not request payment for were an affordable housing conference at St. Thomas last month and a Minnesota Department of Transportation meeting in North Branch on May 10. ìI guess I could charge the city every time I step in to City Hall, but I donít,î Else said. ìThere are things I donít have to be there for, but Iím the mayor. I go,î he said. ©ECM Post Review |