Hartland board rejects immediate pay increase for Treasury Administrative Assistant

Hartland Township trustees voted down a proposed $1.20-per-hour raise for a Treasury Administrative Assistant and the accompanying budget amendment at their March 24 meeting.

Trustee O'Connell moved to approve the wage increase effective April 1, 2026 and the required budget amendment; Treasurer Horning seconded. The motion failed on a roll call vote, with Supervisor Fountain, Treasurer Horning and Trustee O'Connell voting yes, and Clerk Larry Ciofu, Trustee Lubeski, Trustee McMullen and Trustee Petrucci voting no (yeas 3, nays 4).

Clerk Ciofu said he objected to how the item reached the consent agenda previously and questioned why the pay change was being requested before the township adjusted the merit pool at its earlier meeting. "I did not understand why the proposed increase did not come up when we updated the job description ... and it appears to me ... that there is a request for an increase for things that may happen," Ciofu said. He argued that any additional compensation should be addressed at the time the Deputy Treasurer retires and the promotion or permanent reassignment takes effect.

Treasurer Horning said the employee has been performing Deputy Treasurer duties during another staff member's medical leave, praised the worker's performance, and said the employee will receive a Municipal Treasurer's Certificate next month. "This individual is one of the lowest paid employees, is part-time with no benefits," Horning said, and added that the requested increase reflected duties already being performed.

Board members disagreed over timing: some trustees said they preferred to wait until certification and planned retirements were final before changing the budget; others argued the employee had already taken on higher-level duties. Because the motion failed, no wage adjustment or budget amendment was authorized at the March 24 meeting.