The Empire Township Annual Meeting Saturday morning will include consideration of salary increases for two Township Board members and a public hearing on the proposed 2007-08 budget.

The meeting begins at 10 a.m. and will be held in the township hall on Front Street. The board will hold a special meeting immediately following the Annual Meeting to adopt the proposed budget.

At its Feb. 13 meeting, the board adopted a salary resolution that includes increasing the annual salaries of clerk Christine Neiswonger and treasurer Hal Pendleton by 3.2 percent. Supervisor Bill Bolton and trustees Carl Noonan and Phil Deering did not seek pay increases. At the Annual Meeting, if the electorate takes no action the salary resolution goes into effect on April 1. The electorate also may keep salaries at their current levels, or raise them to higher levels. They may not, however, lower the salaries below existing levels.

Following is the board members position and salary if the resolution goes through as adopted:
• Supervisor Bill Bolton, $6,789.
• Neiswonger and Pendleton, from $17,139 to $17,687.
• Trustees Carl Noon and Phil Deer, $900.

A copy of the proposed budget was not available before the Enterprise went to press.

At the Annual Meeting, reports from department heads will be given. It’s also expected that the decision made by the Township Board earlier this month to establish committees to pursue joint operations of fire and emergency medical services with Glen Arbor Township will be discussed. The two townships already have a joint operating agreement for ambulance service and have always maintained a close relationship in firefighter training and support.