Salem City Council increases compensation of city clerk

By BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

SALEM ? New Salem City Clerk Brenda Carver received a pay increase at Tuesday night?s regular meeting of the Salem City Council.

Carver, however, has been logging many hours to receive that pay increase. Council members approved a monthly salary of $900 for Carver, based on 32 hours of work weekly.

She formerly received $660/month but said the job responsibilities had more than doubled the allotted work time in October-December. ?The responsibilities are greater. During October through December, I worked a lot more than 32 hours a week.?

Carver said that because Salem does not have a deputy clerk now, she has had to assume basically all the city administrative requirements, including water billing. ?If you give me over 32 hours a week, you have to pay me benefits,? she noted. ?I am trying to save you money so there is some room (financially) for a deputy clerk to help out when I have to go to a meeting or can?t be here.?

Hired last year as deputy city clerk, Carver assumed the top post in January when she and then-City Clerk Carolyn Bolin traded positions. However, Bolin has been in Arizona most of the winter, has and assumed the role of a consultant although she did draft the fiscal 2013 budget.

Council members approved the final monthly paycheck of $550 for Bolin. Bolin resigned her position in early March. Initially, the council did not accept her resignation. But the council finally did accept the resignation March 13 when Bolin told them that either they accept her resignation or she was quitting.

?It is only right to pay her (Bolin),? Councilman Bruce Eltrich commented.

In a related matter, the council had a special meeting Feb. 24, requested by Bolin, concerning her status as city clerk. During the meeting, Bolin said since she called the meeting she would pay for it. She did issue the city a $160 check to pay for council salaries for the meeting but later stopped payment on the check.

Councilman Charles Kramer suggested putting a bill for the special council meeting in the envelope with Bolin?s check. ?I think it is only right that since she called the meeting, she pay for it.?

The council, however, said it would not pursue legal action if Bolin did not pay the $160. ?It wouldn?t be worth it, you would not want the legal fees,? Eltrich noted.

Carver told the council that her computer is experiencing multiple problems. ?Sometimes it won?t recognize the monitor, other times it won?t recognize the printer,? she explained.

?Basically, it?s junk,? Kramer summarized. ?I don?t know much about computers except that they don?t last long.?

She said she has received and $1,100 cost estimate on a new computer, monitor, software and installation. The city, she added, owes $140 for past maintenance on the current computer.

Following limited suggestion, the council advised Carver to solicit other proposals and report back.

Jeff Krug of Mt. Pleasant, who is heading up the Red Flag Motor Tour coming to Henry County Sept. 26-29, gave the council an overview of the event. The tour, which will have its main run from New London to Brighton, is modeled after a tour which began in England in 1896. In November of 1896, British motoring changed with the passage of the ?Locomotives on the Highway Act? which increased the speed limit for ?light locomotives? from four to 14 miles per hour. The act also abolished the requirement that the locomotive be preceeded by a man on foot with a red flag.

A symbolic red flag was burned and to celebrate, an event (tour of horseless carriages from London to Brighton, England) was established to show the automobile was here to stay. The tour still remains an annual event in England.

Krug said that because of the proximity of New London to Brighton, the tour can be recreated in southeast Iowa. ?It is a fun way for us to bring notoriety to southeast Iowa and the communities of Henry and Washington County.?

He said a committee has been working on this for nearly two years. ?We have tried to include virtually every town in Henry County. These folks told us that they enjoy history and unique things. They don?t want to come and just drive.?

He said he does not know what to expect in terms of cars but thus far has received registrations from as far away as New York, Georgia and Indiana. There will be two classes of cars. The signature participants will have vehicles 1908 or older with one and two cylinder steam engines and/or electric vehicles and motorcycles up to and including 1915.

The second class will include any four cylinder 1927 and earlier and any stream/electric/motorcycle from 1916-1927. The class will be limited to 50 vehicles.

A stop in Salem is scheduled during the event, Krug told the council.

He said plans are to make the tour an annual event. ?We don?t plan on this being a one-and-done. We are planning now for three and five years out. However, we are trying to keep things simple the first year. We want to walk before we run.?

In remaining business, the council:

? Was informed that there were five applicants for the community center cleaning position. The council will interview selected candidates soon.

? Approved a $37,836.40 bid from L.L. Pelling for summer street work.

Council members meet again in regular session Tuesday, May 1, at 7 p.m. in the Community Center.