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The Marriott-Slaterville City History Collection was created by the residents of the town to document their history. The collection includes Autobiographies, Oral Histories, History of Marriott, History of Slaterville, and the History of the Merging Townships to create Marriott-Slaterville City. This information has left behind rich histories, stories and important information regarding the history of the Marriott-Slaterville area. |
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Show MARRIOTT-SLATERVILLE - CITY NEWS - Marriott-Slaterville City Council Report By Joyce VanTassell Correspondent City council increases mayor's pay but votes against planning commission compensation Marriott-Slaterville's city council met on Thursday, October 19 and held a public hearing to address the issue of increasing compensation for the mayor and the planning commissioners. Orvil Holley, a former Marriott-Slaterville city councilman, said that although the planning commission does a great job, he opposes compensation for them. He said, "Once you start down that path, you can't stop." Holley also said that compensating the planning commission might make other volunteers feel excluded. Gerald Bischoff, a former Marriott-Slaterville planning commissioner, stated that he had opposed the incorporation of the city and presently remained opposed. He also said he felt city officials did not deserve increases in pay. After the close of the public hearing, Councilman Rob Smout said, "I appreciate the mayor, he puts in untold hours of time for the city." Smout also said, "Being on the planning commission involves a lot of headache and a lot of heartache." Kim Slater said he was in favor of increasing the mayor's compensation, but wanted to separate that issue from paying the planning commission. Presently, the commissioners are not compensated except for being eligible for reimbursement to cover the cost of travel or training. City Administrator Bill Morris explained that the city budgets around $500 annually for these expenses, and that commissioners have never applied for compensation. Councilman Scott VanLeeuwen said, "I know the hours spent as a planning commissioner. I don't think a job should cost you money." He was referring to costs that can be incurred by commissioners as they go about their duties. He agreed that the two issues of compensating the commission and increasing the mayor's pay should be separated. Councilman Delbert Hodson mentioned that Marriott-Slaterville is not a very big city. With a population of 1,425 it is less than half the size of neighboring communities. Hodson spoke about compensating the person (Mayor Keith Butler) versus the position, and how increasing the pay might not be worthwhile if a different person were mayor. Hodson said, "Personally, I think we should leave the mayor's compensation as is." Council President Dennis Ilium stated that this issue has come up before |