Colfax Village Board to meet 1 time per month on one-year trial basis
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — Beginning in January, the Colfax Village Board will be meeting on a trial basis throughout 2022 once a month on the second Monday instead of twice a month on the second and fourth Mondays.
“The resolution states what was talked about at the previous meeting,” said Lynn Niggemann, village administrator-clerk-treasurer.
The resolution included the provision that since the village president and the trustees were only meeting once per month that the pay for the meetings should increase from $20 to $40.
Anne Jenson, village trustee, expressed the same concerns she had articulated at the December 13 meeting.
One meeting per month “won’t do justice” to the village. There is “too much going on” to be able to cover everything in only one meeting per month, Jenson said.
Jenson also was concerned about the pay increase to $40 per meeting — or at least the perceived pay increase to $40 per meeting, since the village president and village trustees currently receive $40 per month for two meetings, or $20 per meeting for regular monthly meetings.
Village trustees and the village president also receive $20 per meeting for any special meetings.
In addition to the pay per meeting, village board members receive an annual compensation of $1,250 per year for the trustees and $1,550 per year for the village president.
Jenson also wondered whether the $40 per meeting in the resolution would apply to special meetings and to committee meetings.
If the village board meets only once per month with no special meetings, then the $40 per monthly regular meeting would be consistent with the pay the village board receives now for two meetings per month at $20 per meeting.
If the $40 per meeting applies to special meetings and committee meetings, and the village business requires a second “special” meeting per month, then village board members would be paid $80 per month.
If the $40 per meeting applies to committee meetings, and the committees meet more often to discuss more village business in the absence of the second village board meeting per month, then the trustees also would be receiving an increase in pay.
Jenson noted that even if the village board only meets once per month, with no special meetings, village residents would still perceive the $40 per meeting, compared to the current $20 per meeting, as a pay increase.
One meeting per month is not about the cost, but rather, to make the meeting process more streamlined for the administrator-clerk-treasurer, said Jody Albricht, village president.
One meeting per month will not benefit the village, especially if the village board has to hold special meetings to cover business that comes up and cannot wait for the one regular meeting per month, Jenson said.
Gary Stene, village trustee, asked about the number of special meetings the village board had held in the past year.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the village board has not had many special meetings, and the committees also have not held very many meetings in the past year, Jenson said.
The Colfax Village Board approved the resolution to hold one meeting per month on a trial basis for one year on a vote of five “yes” to one “no.”
Voting in favor were Albricht, and Village Trustees Margaret Burcham, Jen Rud, Jeff Prince and Stene.
Village Trustee Jenson voted against the motion.
Village Trustee Carey Davis was absent from the meeting.
Pay per meeting
Although the $40 per meeting was part of the resolution, the village board considered the pay per meeting as a separate issue.
A motion was introduced to pay trustees and the village president $40 per meeting for regular village board meetings and special meetings and $20 per committee meeting.
“I would want to make sure that people are not upset that the pay is doubled … I want to make sure all the bases are covered,” Jenson said.
Since there will be one meeting per month, the meetings might last twice as long, Niggemann said.
There could be situations where, all of a sudden, there is something that must be approved that cannot wait, so now the village board is holding more meetings, Jenson said.
Some meetings are required by law and are not special meetings, such as the board of review and the budget meeting, Prince said.
The Colfax Messenger pointed out that according to state law, pay raises have to wait until after the April election.
Stene agreed and noted that elected officials cannot approve pay raises for themselves.
State law
State law prohibits board members from approving a pay increase for themselves when they know who will be on the ballot for the next election.
According to Wisconsin statute 61.193 (2), “compensation for an elective village office shall be established before the earliest time for filing nomination papers for the office, or if nomination papers are not used, before the caucus date … After that time or date, no change may be made in the compensation for the office that applies to the term of office for which the deadline or date applies. The compensation established for an elective office remains in effect for ensuing terms unless changed.”
If the $40 per meeting does, in fact, turn out to be a pay increase for village board members because more special meetings are required, the village board would have had to approve the pay increase prior to December 1, which was the first day candidates could circulate nomination papers for village trustee in anticipation of the April election.
If a pay increase had been approved prior to December 1, 2021, the increase would go into effect after the April of 2022 election.
Legal opinion
Several village board members said that perhaps Niggemann should contact the village’s attorney for an opinion on the increase from $20 to $40.
For the sake of discussion, Stene had made a motion to increase the pay from $20 to $40 per meeting but rescinded his motion “pending further information.”
The last time the village board approved a pay increase for village trustees and the village president was in 2013.