Dorr Township has only two employees who get health care and dental benefits, but both will have to absorb underpayment for them over the last fiscal year.
The Township Board Thursday night voted 6-1 to have Treasurer Jim Martin and Office manager Vicki Fifelski either repay the shortfall in one lump sum or have it spread out for up to nine months being taken out of their paychecks.
Their health care dental benefits were underpaid because of a clerical error, so it was not their fault, prompting Supervisor Jeff Miling to move to have the mistake corrected without penalty for the two employees.
His motion was defeated 4-3, with the majority including Clerk Debbie Sewers and Trustees John Tuinstra, Dan Weber and Terry Rios.
Sewers indicated the underpayment may have occurred even before this past fiscal year and at stake may be $2,000 or more.
Tuinstra said that money does not belong to the township, but to the taxpayers, and noted the board earlier in the evening repaid Assessor Patti Sampley for its record keeping mistake.
Rios agreed, saying, “We need to do what’s right here. It’s not our money to spend.”
Weber said, “We owe the public this money. We can’t just gift it.”
The board, at the behest of citizen Bernie Schumaker in the audience, also insisted that if either employee leaves before the nine months has expired, the remaining balance be taken out of the last paycheck.
The vote to force the two employees to pay the shortfall was 6-1 with Miling standing firm after moving to have it be forgiven.
Martin was perturbed that issue was even brought before the board for a vote.
“I don’t believe we need to bring every nit picking issue to the board,” he explained.
PHOTO: Treasurer Jim Martin
