Special Church Council Meeting - March 28, 2004

Kim Karkut called the special meeting for March 28th, 2004 at 11:02 a.m. Present were Glenn Wells, Jan Wells, Cheryl Patrick, Ron Karkut, Kim Karkut, Betty Ogden, Carol Edson, Bill Barker, Lesley Barker, Walter Crosby, and Kathey DeMarco.

Ron Karkut, representing the Search Committee, presented the following report:

Salary, Benefits & Expenses Offered

Following many months of meetings we are at a critical point in the development of our church profile. The only remaining section is the financial package that will be offered to our prospective candidates. On March 22 we met with our Western Regional Minister, Susan Townsley to review our profile and get her insight on how to structure our financial package. Her assistance was invaluable and her guidance welcomed.

Susan provided us with an updated Salary Grid, which was compiled by the Conference Committee on Ministry. For a church our size, 101-200 members, the average salary (which is a combination of both salary and housing allowance) totaled $41,672. Susan then recommended that we determine what we, as a church could afford to spend annually for a new minister, and she emphasized that we should put our best offer on the table. The following is recommendation for a starting point from our Search Committee:

Section 17(from profile)

A. Cash Salary Offered; $27,500 (does not include housing allowance)

B. Housing Allowance; negotiable within total compensation package limits.
(Church owned apartment a possible alternative)

C. Vacation; 4 weeks (possibly accruing 1 week per quarter) It is expected that vacation time will be used in current year.

Maternity/Paternity; ???
UCC Retirement Annuity; 14% of salary
UCC Insurance Plan including life, disability, health, dental and family coverage (can be modified depending on circumstances)
SECA or Social Security: subject to mutual agreement
Educational Benefits; negotiable within total compensation package limits
Books; negotiable within total compensation package limits
Car Allowance; negotiable within total compensation package limits
Sabbatical Leave; at regular salary and benefits after 6 years for 4 month

We are purposely omitting parts D (travel reimbursement) & E (meeting expense reimbursement). We believe they are things that can be addressed when appropriate. We anticipate the answer would YES for routine expenses in both categories.

The above salary and benefits are meant to serve as a starting point within a total compensation package of approximately $59,000-$60,000 (with a possible 10% additional for an exceptional circumstance which might mean the difference between hiring and not). Our previous 2003 contract with Greg had a total value of $70, 974. We realize that different candidates will come with different needs and requirements. We are willing to work with our new pastor to structure a benefit package that is mutually agreeable.

After some discussion a motion was made to offer a $30,000 salary which would include SECA. A $12,000 housing allowance would be made available. The 10% additional negotiating tool was eliminated. If the search committee felt they had an exceptional candidate, an emergency council meeting would be called to address the need to offer a few thousand dollars more. The motion was seconded and unanimously passed.

The meeting was then adjourned at 11:35 a.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Betty Ogden, Clerk