Town of Fly Creek

TOWN CONSIDERS PAY FOR PLANNING BOARD MEMBERS

The town of Otsego is considering a change of status for planning board members from voluntary to paid.

Town supervisor Tom Breiten said he had spoken recently with planning board chairman Jonathan Bass about compensating board members for what is becoming a more time-consuming and complex job.

Breiten said no decision has been made and that the town board has not discussed the proposal. The supervisor said if it is approved, he believed something in the range of $50 to $100 a month would be reasonable.

"Paying them for their time would remove one more impediment to getting good people to serve on the planning board," he said.

Breiten, who was a long-time planning board member and chairman before becoming supervisor, said there may be more work for planning board members once the revised comprehensive plan is adopted and the review of applications is more complicated and lengthy.