Houlton councilors to decide pay issue If OK’d, referendum would go to voters

HOULTON – After nearly two years of sporadic debate on the subject, town councilors are poised to make a definite decision Monday night about whether to ask taxpayers if they deserve a pay raise.

During the upcoming meeting, the group will hold a public hearing to determine if a proposal to double their annual stipend should appear on the ballot as a referendum question in November.

At this point, councilors are paid $500 a year to serve on the panel, while the chairman receives $600. If the proposal goes before voters, it would seek to raise the stipend from $500 to $1,000 for councilors and from $600 to $1,200 for the chairman.

The council has struggled for some time to come to an agreement; a referendum would effectively take the decision on the stipend increase out of the councilors’ hands.

At this point, board members attend approximately 24 meetings a year, along with additional committee meetings.

Councilors now are paid roughly $20.83 for each meeting.

In fall 2004, Councilor Gerald Adams broached the idea of considering a pay hike for future councils. He later withdrew the request in light of a looming tax-cap referendum, which many thought would gut most of the town’s assets.

The referendum was defeated statewide.

The issue came up again in February 2005, and the board eventually voted 4-2 against a stipend hike after considerable debate.

The council again looked at the issue in May of this year, and the board agreed a month later that voters should decide the issue.

The council stipend has risen and fallen in the past two decades. In 1980, councilors made $750, while the chairman made $50 more. The salary was slashed later that year, when it was lowered to $250.

If a salary change is approved, it would affect only future councilors.