The Milan News-Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Fire chief's salary may be cut drastically
Board to discuss issue 7 p.m. April 7 at the Milan fire hall
By Michelle Rogers, Editor
PUBLISHED: March 27, 2008
The fire chief in Milan may see his salary slashed drastically if the board moves forward with a proposal from its chairman.
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The Milan Area Fire Department's executive board voted March 20 to discuss the issue at a special meeting in April. Board Chairman Dave Wittkop, supervisor of Milan Township, has suggested a reduction in Fire Chief Dave Webb's salary from $20,000 a year to $8,500.
Wittkop said Friday by telephone that the Milan Township Board didn't agree with the chief's $15,000 pay increase two years ago and asked Wittkop to bring up the issue again as part of the fire board's consideration of the 2008-09 operating budget.
Rather than vote on the pay decrease last week before approving the fire budget, the board decided to discuss the topic in more depth at a special meeting 7 p.m. April 17 at the Milan Area Fire Department.
The board approved the operating budget March 20, but board members must still get final approval from their individual municipal boards. The budget can be changed to reflect a lower wage for the chief, if the board desires, Wittkop said.
"I don't know if he's overpaid," Wittkop said of Webb. "It's just a matter of how much we want to pay for the position."
Wittkop said he's not sure where others on the fire board stand on the issue. As a representative of Milan Township, he said it's his responsibility to bring up his municipal board's concerns.
"We didn't feel the position should be paid that much," he said. "We have limited resources in our township, and the city is bordering on extreme fiscal hard times. London Township, I don't know what they're thinking."
The fire board is made up of representatives from Milan, London and York townships, and the city of Milan, which comprise the Milan Area Fire Department's service area.
Wittkop said when the board voted two years ago to increase Webb's salary from $5,000 to $20,000 per year, the chief was to commit to 20 hours per week. However, Wittkop said he has received complaints from firefighters that Webb isn't at the fire department that often.
"One (firefighter) says this and one says that, and you try to verify it and everyone hides," he said about the validity of the complaints.
"It's our (the board's) responsibility that what we're paying for, they're doing," he said, referring to Webb's time spent on the job.
Webb, however, said Monday that he works 30 to 40 hours in the chief's position and documents his time in a day planner as he's not required to turn in a time card. He said if members of the fire board were interested and asked, he would be willing to share that documentation.
"There are times I work at home (on behalf of the fire department) and at the fire department, and I make myself available to (the board) 24/7," he said. "If they call, I deal with it.
"I've given citizens my cell (phone) number and if people have complaints, they can call me directly.
"I try to make myself available to the citizens because ultimately they are who I work for."
Wittkop said the Milan Township Board was agreeable to increasing Webb's pay from $5,000 per year to $10,000 two years ago, but not to $20,000. Ultimately, it was the fire board's decision, with the majority of the fire board voting in favor.
The chief's current salary can be broken down to an hourly wage of about $19.23 based on the assumption he's working 20 hours a week. If the board follows Wittkop's recommendation, as stated at the March 20 meeting, Webb would make about $8.17 an hour if he worked 20 hours a week.
Based on Wittkop's assertion that the chief isn't putting in 20 hours a week and the salary he recommended, a salary of $8,500 at $19.23 per hour would reflect about 4.75 hours of work a week.
Wittkop said there are fire departments in Monroe County where the chiefs are paid less than $8,000 per year and firefighters volunteer their time and are not paid on an on-call basis. He said Milan firefighters are paid on call at about $16 per hour. He added that if the chief responded to a call, he would be paid an additional $16 per hour.
"He's only looking at Monroe County because when it comes to some things, they're kind of behind the times," Webb said. "They may not be as progressive in terms of a chief's pay. So, he's looking at the cheapest (example)."
The Chelsea Area Fire Department, which switched to a full-time department in November 2005, was previously in Milan's position and had a part-time chief. The chief in Chelsea earned $20,000 per year for the part-time post. Now, as a full-time chief, he earns an annual salary of $60,000.
Wittkop said Friday that he's not sure what the board will decide, but he felt it was his obligation to broach the subject.
"It probably won't go down," he said. "Everything is negotiable.
"In all organizations, you've always got ups and downs with employees and emotions."
Webb said he thinks Wittkop is trying to pressure him to quit and that he had a good working relationship with the previous chairman, the late Dave Potter, who allowed him to work a flexible schedule, understanding he has a family and works full time as a firefighter for Ypsilanti Township.
"I know he's trying to get rid of me," Webb said of Wittkop, "because he doesn't like me."
Webb said he had no comment on what he would do if the board did vote to reduce his salary.
"That's the board's choice. I am not going to say what I would and wouldn't do," he said. "The board can do whatever it chooses to do."
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