Want to serve on a Lacey advisory board? You now have an opportunity to get paid
Lacey City Council unanimously approved an advisory board stipend program on Thursday as a way to attract more people to serve in local government.
The program, which is still subject to budget funding, is expected to start in January 2024.
The program requires that advisory board members decide whether they want to opt in to it, but once they do they are eligible to receive $50 per meeting for a total amount capped at $500 per year.
The financial impact to the city will range between $20,000 and $45,000, depending on the number of people who opt in to the program, Assistant City Manager Shannon Kelley-Fong told the council.
The stipend is expected to cover the costs that might act as barriers to preventing residents from serving on boards, such as travel, parking, internet or childcare costs, she said.
The program applies to the following boards: Parks, Culture and Recreation, Civil Service Commission, Commission on Equity, Historical Commission, Law Enforcement Officers and Fire Fighters Disability board, Library board, Planning Commission, Lacey Youth Council, Lodging Tax Committee and any ad hoc committees set up by the council.
The stipend also applies to Lacey Youth Council members who serve as representatives to other boards.
The stipend does not apply to regional advisory boards, the city council or city employees, Kelley-Fong said.
Council member Lenny Greenstein asked whether the board members will have to keep track of receipts.
That will not be the case because once they opt in the city will track meetings attended and payment will be based on that attendance, she said.
For now, the city expects to distribute stipend payments four times a year, although the frequency could go up, she said.
Mayor Andy Ryder asked whether Social Security will be deducted from stipend amounts. That will not happen Finance Director Troy Woo said because the stipend is capped at $500.
Once you cross the threshold of $500 it becomes income, Woo said.
Ryder added that he, too, was supportive of the program, recalling how difficult it is sometimes to fill vacant advisory board positions.
Council member Carolyn Cox said she wholeheartedly supports the stipend.
“It’s really important that we reach out to our community and invite them in, and if this can help bring more people in the door to participate in local government, I think it’s money well spent,” she said.
This story was originally published October 6, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
