On March 5, the Fraser Board of Trustees updated multiple ordinances to raise compensation rates for town mayor, trustees and members of the Planning Commission, Public Arts Committee and Economic Development Advisory Committee.

Town Clerk Antoinette McVeigh wrote in a memo given to trustees that as the town grows, the amount of work and time commitment to serve on the board and in committees increases.

“The town hopes to attract the best talent, and fair compensation should reflect the importance of these roles,” McVeigh wrote in the memo.

Currently, Fraser trustees receive $100 per meeting while the mayor receives $200. The mayor pro-tem is compensated $200 when the mayor is absent from a meeting. Additionally, the mayor receives an additional $75 for any other meeting they are obligated to attend. Trustees are not compensated for any additional meetings they are obligated to attend. The last time compensation was increased for board of trustee members was in 2018, according to McVeigh.

McVeigh suggested board meeting compensation for trustees be increased to $200 and $350 for the mayor or mayor pro-tem when the mayor is absent. For other meetings the mayor is obligated to attend, compensation would increase to $200 while trustees receive $100 for any other meetings.

The Planning Commission, Public Arts Committee and Economic Development Advisory Committee also received an update to compensation rates for members. Members of these groups currently receive $75 per meeting, but McVeigh suggested that Planning Commission compensation be increased to $150 per meeting and $100 per meeting for the other committees.

McVeigh said board members put in a lot of time and energy and said she believes they should be compensated to “reflect the importance of these roles.”

A compensation table that compared Fraser’s elected and appointed official compensation rates to other municipalities showed that Grand Lake and Winter Park compensate their mayors at $400 a month and their trustee/council positions at $200.

Trustee Kaydee Fisher questioned whether the increase was necessary and said she wasn’t aware of the compensation until she became a trustee. Mayor Brian Cerkvenik explained that the town has been trying to solicit a diverse array of trustees applications and that compensation can help.

“You also don’t want to alienate someone that can’t afford to take a night off work,” Cerkvenik said. … “We want a diverse board, so we don’t want that limited to just people that can afford to donate their time.”

Trustee Adam Cwiklin agreed and said it was “important to have the potential for lesser-income people on the board and to provide that flexibility.”

“I say this a lot, but what we get paid is enough to cover a babysitter for the meeting,” Cerkvenik said.

Because of Colorado law, any member of the governing body, including the mayor and trustees, shall not have their compensation increased or diminished during the term for which they have been elected or appointed. This means that the current board of trustees will not receive the compensation increase unless they are reelected during the next election cycle. This also applies to the commission and committee members.