Markward vetoes council pay raises

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

An unexpected turn of events of events took place at Monday’s meeting of Van Wert City Council.

Two weeks after council members narrowly voted (4-3) to approve council raises for the next term, Mayor Ken Markward announced he was vetoing the increase. He read aloud a four page document explaining his reasons and he suggested a sizable pay decrease for all members of council.

Before the veto, annual salaries of council members were set to go from $4,900 to $6,100 for ward and at-large members, and from $5,500 to $6,700 for the council president, effective in 2024. Council previously mulled a 10 percent increase to $5,390 for all members but the president, and $6,050 for the council president.

“Two weeks ago was the only time this issue was discussed with all seven members present,” Markward stated. “As you know it passed 4-3 on its third and final reading.”

He went on to say the closeness of the vote helped him decide on the veto, his first since taking office.

He then compared the duties and compensation of city council and the Van Wert school board and cited his previous experience serving on both. School board members in Van Wert are paid $125 per meeting, resulting in an annual salary of $1,500 for 12 meetings.

“I can speak from personal experience when I say that being on Council was not four times as difficult, nor did it bear four times the responsibility of being on the school board,” Markward said. “In fact, a considerable argument could be made that school board members carry a greater responsibility than council. The school district’s annual budget for all funds is in excess of $32 million; the city’s is less than $15 million. The school has about 300 full-time employees; the city has about 100.”

“School board members do not get paid for meetings they do not attend,” he continued. “No allowance is given for illness or vacation. Council allows absences to be excused without a loss of pay.”

“The school board directly hires and could fire the superintendent and the treasurer. City Council does not hire or fire anyone. It does not review applications, conduct interviews or make disciplinary decisions. This is because council members are not part of the executive branch of government.”

Markward went on to recommend council draft a new ordinance that would set council pay at $3,000 and $3,500 for the council president.

First Ward Councilman Jeff Agler, who supported the increase to $6,100, took offense to Markward’s suggestion and voice his displeasure with the comparison to the school board and the mayor’s recommendation.

“To compare the school board to city government is like comparing night and day…that’s ludicrous,” Agler said.

He went on to ask Law Director John Hatcher to ask if there was any way to rescind the mayor’s raise in 2024 and reduce his pay to match that of the school board president, but did not get a response. Three percent raises for the positions of mayor, law director and city auditor for 2024-2027 were unanimously approved by city council members earlier this month.

Council can try to override Markward’s veto at the next meeting, but will need five “yes” votes to do it. More discussion is expected at the September 11 meeting.

Markward also suggested the salary of the council clerk be increased to $6,700 annually. The full text of Markward’s veto can be found in a separate story below.

In other business, council members gave final approval to an ordinance creating Van Wert Downtown Development District 1 and Dstrict 2. The vote was 4-3, with Bill Marshall, Jeff Kallas, Jeff Agler and Andrew Davis voting yes, and Judy Bowers, David Stinnett and Julie Moore voting no.

Council also heard the first reading of an ordinance modifying the procedure used to prepare ordinances, along with another ordinance dealing with timelines for deciding salaries of elected officials, council appointments on boards and approval of the tax budget. The vote was 4-3 on both ordinances, with Bowers, Stinnett and Moore voting no. Six yes votes will ultimately be needed for approval.

The next meeting of Van Wert City Council will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, September 11, in Council Chambers on the second floor of the Municipal Building, 515 E. Main St.