VBT DDA agrees to go along with township’s salary scale, steps

Although the Van Buren Township Downtown Development Authority is a separate entity from the township, DDA members approved setting the salary scale for its two employees on the township’s new salary scale.
At its May 25 meeting, the DDA approved an Appendix to VBT Resolution 2021-12, DDA Salary Scale, to become effective with the pay period ending May 21, in line with the township. The approval had a $5,370 budget implication and that money was taken from the DDA fund balance.
VBT Supervisor Kevin McNamara asked that this action be moved up to the beginning of the meeting agenda because he had a meeting to attend and he would be leaving early.
DDA Executive Director Susan Ireland said township Human Resource Director Nicole Sumpter “conducted a thorough review of salaried positions in an effort to safeguard employees with equitable pay by resolving disparities in compensation.”
Supervisor McNamara explained that the township had seven or so key people leaving, including the head of water and sewer and the supervisor of the water department. They discovered these salaries were not in line with other communities.
McNamara said he found his home’s late pickups by Waste Management were because they couldn’t hire workers at $25 an hour. Culver’s is offering $1,000 bonuses to sign up at a wage of $15 an hour.
He said someone who the township was paying $85,000, can get $105,000 elsewhere. He said salary surveys weren’t giving accurate information. He said there aren’t many DDAs in the state and they are run in different ways and it’s hard to compare DDA salaries.
McNamara said they looked at Step Increases, which are used by Canton, Westland, Detroit, and the military. He said they decided to give a 5% average raise and move everyone to a Step System. They won’t get the 2% in January 2022 and on Jan. 1, 2023 they will get on at Step One.
“These two ladies deserve what the rest of the township gets,” said DDA member Joe Baskin.
McNamara said they will get 5% now and after December 2023 they will be on Step One.
DDA member Vic Laginess asked the DDA employees – Executive Director Ireland and Assistant Executive Director Lisa Lothinger – if they want what the township is getting.
Ireland said, “Yes… I’m fine with it.”
“Everyone’s being treated equally,” Baskin said.
After the action was unanimously approved, McNamara said, “We just gave them 5% raises, locked in for 18 months. We no longer negotiate new salaries. We’re out of that game. We’re in the Step System.”
In other business at the 33-minute meeting on May 25, the DDA:
• Heard Ireland announce that someone put up a poster at Belleville Road and Harmony Lane thanking the DDA for fixing the sidewalks for bikes and walkers. The sidewalk project is now in the restoration stage; and
• Heard Ireland report that a very large tree branch had fallen onto the Belleville Road sidewalk along the Harmony Lane subdivision. TNT safely removed the branch after an emergency call. The branch was within the Wayne County right of way, but the DDA has the responsibility to maintain the fence, she said. There are other trees on the verge of falling on the fence, as well as a dead tree at Harris Park and Ireland is having TNT provide costs to have them all removed.