Supervisors Unanimously Approve Township Manager Raise

NEWTOWN SQUARE–At a Newtown Township Board of Supervisors meeting on June 25, Supervisors Chairman Joseph Catania announced a shortage in pay for Township Manager Mike Trio's salary.

with a pay of $300 per day with medical benefits, if needed. The vote carried 3-2 with Supervisor George Wood and then former Supervisors Vice Chairwoman Linda Houldin against it. The appointment was carried and was effective immediately at the meeting.

"If you recall, his first few months he was not paid on a $100,000 basis. I believe it was $75,000. So there's a shortage of $25,000," explained Catania. "It's been one year since Mr. [Mike] Trio has been township manager. His salary was $100,000. From June 1, 2011, to May 31, 2012, his salary should be $100,000."

The Board unanimously approved to pay Trio the shortage.

In August last year, , stating the amount of work Trio has been able to tackle in the in June.

Catania previously stated, "We've heard nothing but great feedback from the public on Mike’s performance over the past couple of months. I think it would be very wise for us to extend his employment contract and make his compensation equal to, at minimum, what the prior township manager was making."

Both Supervisor Wood and former Supervisor Houldin were not present at the meeting, making the vote 3-0 to extend Trio's contract through December. The supervisors approved an increase in his pay to $100,000 with the standard benefit and medical package, as it was with the prior township manager Jim Sheldrake.

At the June 25th meeting, Catania also recommended a bonus for Trio.

"In the past, the township has been giving bonuses–maybe not in the past two years–but before the practice was the Board would sit and discuss it at budget time or before the reorganization meeting and approve it," said Catania. "I think in the past it wasn't done in public."

According to Catania, some of the criteria for bonuses included whether or not milestones have been met by the township manager or "certain things have been done which have been a benefit to the township."

"Our discussions were not only budgetary but in the nature of efficiency, we have discussed increasing Mr. Trio's salary from $100,000 to $105,000," said Catania. The increased salary was effective June 1, 2012.

The motion to increase Trio's salary carried unanimously.