Town officials to get raises

The Town of Belgium chairman and clerk will be getting raises next year, since residents approved salary increases for both positions at Tuesday’s annual meeting.

The salary for the chairman will increase from $4,800 to $5,725, and the clerk’s pay will rise from $24,000 to $28,000.

Town Chairman Tom Winker said the pay range for town clerk for a municipality of Belgium’s size is $28,000 to $34,000, noting that the Town of Port Washington clerk receives $35,000.

“At the very least, I would like to get her in range,” Winker said of Clerk Ginger Murphy.

Winker said he hasn’t received a pay raise in the eight years he has been chairman.

He said the Port town chairman makes $9,500 and the Fredonia chairman makes $6,500 and receives per-diem meeting pay.

“I don’t need to be what other people are. I don’t do it for that. I do it because I would like to make a difference in our community,” Winker said.

“I think it’s very simply this: If you expect good people to do good jobs, you need to pay them. We don’t need to be the highest paid in Ozaukee County and we’re not. We’re on the other end of the spectrum, but having said that, we need to keep up with the cost of living and everything else.”

A handful of residents unanimously approved the pay raises, which will take effect in April 2019, after the spring election.

The raises are attached to the positions and not specific people.