During deliberations for the 2008 municipal budget, controversy surfaced over salary increases members of the Township Council wanted to impose. Those members who proposed the measure argued that the salary increase would cover expenses they incurred from taking care of township business as part of the job.
An offset of that discussion was a debate over the expense reimbursement process, which was ultimately dropped — until now. During the council’s September 14 meeting, Councilman Charles Morgan found issue with what he called a “blanket” $250 reimbursement voucher submitted by Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh, along with another reimbursement for $14.
The small discussion caused a short uproar, primarily as Morgan, Hsueh, and Councilwoman Linda Geevers exchanged heated words, audibly on top of each other for about a minute, until Council President George Borek agreed to have discussion of a reimbursement policy placed on a future agenda.
Morgan asked to have the bills and claims pulled from the consent agenda, saying the mayor submitted a $250 voucher for travel expenses, along with a separate $14 travel expense item. “We shouldn’t be approving blanket expenses,” he said. “We need to get back to the travel expense policy.”
That discussion, which took place during the 2008 budget season, occurred after the council deliberated a 50 percent council raise from $5,000 a year to $7,500, and then a salary increase for the mayor from $17,685 to $25,000. Proponents argued that the raise was intended to cover the expenses they incurred while on the job, and that the raises would eliminate the need for submitting reimbursement forms and dealing with questions that could be raised when it comes to determining which reimbursements are associated with the job.
Opponents said that expenses legitimately accrued by council members as part of township business should be submitted and reimbursed. Morgan argued then, however, that he submitted vouchers that still had not been paid, and controvery broke out over the legitimacy of those reimbursements. The issue was eventually dropped.
