It’s only been one year since Old Orchard Beach voted in the changes to the town clerk’s salary and term ”“ and it’s already coming up again for another vote.

The charter was amended last November to set the town clerk’s salary to no less than the average salary of the top eight department heads; and change the term of the town clerk, who is elected, from two to four years. Both issues, along with several other minor charter amendments, were included in one question on last year’s ballot, so voters didn’t have the chance to consider them separately. Ultimately, the question passed 2,062 to 889, but it’s unclear if that figure reflects the voters’ feelings on these two issues in particular.

At the time, we argued against the salary provision and in favor of the term extension, and we’d like to reiterate those points as the issue heads back to voters.

Since the charter’s new salary formula was implemented July 1, the town clerk’s salary has increased from about $54,200 to almost $68,800.

That’s a $14,600 increase. In one year.

Per the new formula in the charter, it’s an average of the top eight department heads’ salaries, so the town clerk is now making more money than the recreation director, town planner, superintendent of the wastewater treatment plant, fire chief and public works director. The $68,800 salary is only below that of the finance director, assessor and police chief.

In the meantime, the council has twice rejected 1 percent raises for non-union employees, who have not had raises in four years. That 1 percent increase would have added up to about $12,400 total, shared among the more than two dozen non-union employees, which is $2,200 less than the town clerk’s increase alone.

As well, the council has awarded a significant raise of $7,000 to the town manager, who is not a department head, and $2,500 to the town planner. That means that not only did the town clerk receive a $14,600 raise, but the salary for the position could actually increase further based on the town planner’s increase.

The employees hoping for that little 1 percent raise after four years of nothing can’t be too pleased with this unfair arrangement.

The council has given its initial approval to eliminate this formula, and we hope they follow through to bring it back to voters on this November’s ballot.

Apparently, the formula was proposed as a way to keep the clerk’s salary out of the council’s control because, unlike other department heads, it is an elected position. Even so, it’s hard to believe that voters would approve such a hefty raise for this position if it were proposed as a standalone expense.

Such a formula does not seem wise at a time when the council needs to have as many options as possible for keeping costs in check. Elected or not, the town clerk’s pay comes out of town funds. As we said last November, the salary for the town clerk position should be based on experience, education and comparable salary data for the region, not on what everyone else is being paid.

As for the term limit, extending it from two years to four was a good change that we hope remains in place.

The position of town clerk requires certification and a good deal of training, and having experience in the town is also beneficial for the person holding it.

It’s unclear why the council would want to remove this provision, as it would provide better continuity for the town and allow clerks to focus fully on their work, rather than an election, for a more reasonable period of time.

Town charters are always fluid documents, changing to accommodate the times and circumstances at hand, and in these times, removing this automatic pay raise formula simply makes sense.

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Today’s editorial was written by Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski, representing the majority opinion of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.