The day after the Sept. 15 regular board meeting, Independence Township Trustee Mark Petterson walked into township hall and handed Clerk Shelagh VanderVeen a signed letter asking his regular pay be reduced by 20 percent, with no pay for special meetings until Jan. 1, 2010.
‘I said I would do it (special board meetings and workshops) for free, now here I am doing it for free,? Petterson said. ‘I’m charged to do what’s best for the township and I’m charged to do what’s best for the residents and those are difficult decisions.?
The letter was also signed and witnessed by Deputy Clerk Paula Heenan, and Treasurer Curt Carson.
Petterson said giving up some of his pay was the best thing he could do to try and prevent the board from going over budget.
‘How can I sit there and beat up a department head for going over budget, when our board is over budget? How can I do that,? asked Petterson. ‘It’s a cop who drives down the road drunk, then goes back to work the next day and busts somebody for drunk driving and that’s wrong.?
On Jan. 1, he said he will revisit the situation and see whether he will continue with reduced pay, which will be determined on how the township budget is doing.
“I don’t want a pat on the back for this. If other board members want to join me that’s up to them, but I’m not going to pressure them,? Petterson said. ‘This is what I want to do, if they don’t want to do it then that’s fine and dandy.?