An ordinance increasing pay for Hempfield supervisors will be up for a vote Monday.
State legislators in December 2024 raised the allowable compensation levels for second-class township supervisors to a maximum of $8,385 per year. Hempfield’s five supervisors currently get $5,000 annually each.
Solicitor Scott Avolio said, if the measure is passed Monday, the pay increase will not apply to those currently on the board, unless they are reelected to their seat.
That means the two supervisor seats that start new six-year terms in 2026 would get the increased rate, if the measure is approved. The remaining three seats would get the pay increase following the next election.
One seat will be up for grabs in 2027 and two in 2029.
Supervisor Doug Weimer won reelection in November and he will be joined in January on the board by Becky Durbin as Supervisor Tom Logan did not seek another term.
Supervisor Bill Bretz’s term runs through 2027. Supervisors Jay Anderson and George Reese were elected through 2029.
The proposed ordinance calls for monthly installments of the new rate, which would amount to about $700 per month for the post compared to $416 now.
Avolio said the pay rate for second-class township supervisors was last raised statewide in 1995. It went into effect in Hempfield on Jan. 1, 1996, according to township ordinance.
Inflation has risen by more than 100% since then, according to the U.S. Inflation Calculator. The average price for gas in 1996 was about $1.29, which would be $3.36 today, and the average price for milk was $2.62, equating to $4.73 in 2022.
The supervisors meet at 7 p.m. Monday at the township building, 1132 Woodward Drive.