New Avon Township leaders reject raises

Five new Avon Township elected officials who ran together on a political slate have refunded pay raises that were approved by a previous regime before they took office.

To mark the occasion at a meeting Monday, the group posed with an oversized check payable to "the people of Avon Township" for $3,399. That amount is what the raises would have cost for the five officials over the next 12 months, but now will stay in the budget.

Although his political opponents asked him to join in the raise rejection, Trustee William McNeill said he declined the offer. McNeill said he plans to reveal what he'll do with his extra $78 at a meeting in September.

Township Supervisor Sam Yingling headed the Avon Forward political slate in the April election. The slate included Clerk Lisa Rusch and Trustees Chris Ditton, Marc Feldstein and Sherry Ridge.

McNeill was the only trustee candidate who won as part of former supervisor Shirley Christian's Avon One political team.

Avon Forward made the raises a campaign issue. During the campaign, Avon One contended Yingling and the Avon Forward trustee candidates were prohibited by state law from revoking the pay raises the township board set for the elected officials.

But instead of rescinding the pay hikes after joining the board in May, Yingling and his teammates simply returned the money.

"I think it's important we hold true to the commitment we made to the electorate to give back those pay raises," Yingling said at Monday's meeting.

Yingling would have received a 4 percent boost on his $61,000 salary. He said he will decline previously approved 4 percent annual raises through 2012.

Trustees are in line for 3 percent annual hikes through 2012. Yingling said he expects the three from his slate to keep their annual pay frozen at $2,600.

Assessor-elect Bryce Carus intends to return a 15 percent raise on his $65,000 salary that was approved for 2010 by the former township board before the April election. If he follows through, Carus will forfeit $9,750.

Carus, who takes over for Assessor Rick Dishman in January, would be eligible for 4 percent raises from 2011 to 2013. Carus joined his political allies in a picture with the ceremonial refund check in front of the township meeting room rostrum.

Highway Commissioner Patrick Anderson's $61,000 salary was set to rise by 4 percent, with the same increase scheduled for the next three years. Anderson, who ran on Christian's slate, didn't attend Monday's meeting and could not be reached for comment.

Rusch's $23,000 annual clerk's salary will be frozen through 2012 if she rejects the next three scheduled 3 percent raises.