Clinton Township supervisors to eventually receive pay raise
CLINTON TWP — Following legislation recently enacted by Pennsylvania’s General Assembly, township supervisors voted for a pay raise during their meeting on Wednesday night, March 12.
The ordinance will boost the annual compensation for each of the three township supervisors to $3,144.96 per year — a sizable increase from the annual salary of $1,875 they currently receive.
However, there is a catch: The pay raise only comes into effect at the start of each supervisor’s next term, which lasts for six years. The state’s constitution prohibits any elected official from adjusting their pay during their term in office.
This means the three current supervisors — Kathy Allen, Bill Duncan and Jason Davidek — will be paid at their current rate until either they are reelected or new supervisors are elected.
Clinton Township and other second-class townships in Pennsylvania received the green light in October, when the General Assembly voted to approve House Bill 2288, which raised the maximum level of compensation for supervisors of those townships. It was the first time since 1995 that the maximum compensation level for the state, or for Clinton Township, had been so adjusted.
To put that in perspective, $10 from that year is worth $20.58 now, after inflation, according to the American Institute for Economic Research.
“It hadn’t been changed since the 1990s, so there was 30 years of inflation there,” said Davidek. “Supervisor salaries are governed by the state legislature. We’re just adopting the new state standards.”
As a township with a population of less than 5,000, the new law caps the maximum pay for Clinton Township supervisors at $3,145 each. For townships with a population between 5,000 and 10,000, the maximum compensation is $4,190.
“We’re not entitled to it until we run for reelection again,” Davidek said. “To receive the increase you have to go through the election cycle. I have a six-year term and I’m a year and a half into it, so I would not be eligible for it until I went through an election again.”
