Peoria Standard

Amid a debate about a proposed pay increase for Hanna City Village trustees, Trustee Ryan Pierson pointed out he wasn’t aware there was a salary with the position.

During a recent meeting, streamed on YouTube, trustees engaged in debate and agreed to increase the pay for each meeting $10, to $65 for the six trustees elected to the panel. It is the first pay increase in more than a decade.

“Do you think that's any part of the draw to try to get people here?” Pierson said. “But I think all of us, I didn't even know I was going to get paid.”

Trustees debated during the session whether the rate should be increased, with several members noting that they ran for office without even knowing they would receive pay.

The pay rate had been $55 per meeting for about a decade, and some trustees thought keeping it low would create more interest in the board, while other members thought raising the pay might increase the pool of candidates. 

During the session, trustees heard that the proposal was set based on the rates of neighboring municipalities, and the board also learned they could vote on the pay rate without a conflict because they all will be up for election before the new rate would be enacted.