The Common Council passed a resolution Monday night confirming a $45,000 starting salary for the city’s next chamberlain, beginning Jan. 1, 2012.

The current chamberlain, Thelma Pelych, has announced she won’t be seeking re-election after more than 40 years at the position.

The resolution came on the heels of the finance committee’s recommendation earlier this month, which established the $45,000 beginner salary. Pelych currently pulls in $81,000.

The committee established the recommended figure after reviewing a list of salaries for finance positions from other cities across the state at its June 8 meeting.

“The information you shared with us from NYCOM was real helpful as we tried to set the (salary) parameters because it really gave us a baseline to look at where cities of similar size were paying their chamberlain,” Alderman Chris Koehler, D- 2nd Ward, told Hogan.

The resolution also gives the finance committee and Common Council an opportunity to increase the salary to a maximum of $65,000 during the first term.

In the event that a chamberlain is voted out of office, the new chamberlain would also begin at the $45,000 level.

Alderman Jean Shepard, D- 7th Ward, approved the salary level, but said she wished the position was a four-year post instead of the two-year term.

“For a town our size, I think it’s a sufficient starting salary. I wish the position was four years. They’ll be just learning the position when it comes time for re-election,” she said. “Hopefully they’ll take a look at that in a few years.”….

Read article here