The Leelanau Township Board unanimously approved a 2.3 percent pay increase for township board positions at its Jan. 22 meeting.

Supervisor James Neve said in a phone report that the 2.3 percent increase was based on the Consumer Product Index (CPI) rate increase for Michigan, and on the increase approved for Social Security recipients for 2008.

The township will hold its Annual Meeting starting at 10 a.m. on March 29 in the township fire station in Northport.

The only time the township board may ask for a pay raise is as part of the Annual Meeting. The board must approve salary resolutions for each position requesting a raise no later than 30 days before the date of the Annual Meeting.

Neve said the board unanimously approved the following annual salary increase requests in separate resolutions:

• Supervisor Neve, from $30,073 to $30,765.

• Clerk Deb Van Pelt, $31,380 to $32,102.

• Treasurer Denise Dunn, $36,788 to $37,634.

• Trustees Gary Fredrickson and Victor Goldschmidt, $1,258 to $1,287.

Neve said the board also increased the per diem trustees receive for attending regular and special meetings from $57 to $60.

When salary resolution requests come up at the Annual Meeting, township electorate may approve as presented the salary boost, increase them any amount over the current salary, or leave the salaries as they are today. The electorate may not lower them below their current levels. If the electorate takes no action on the requests they will go into effect on April 1, 2008, the start of the new fiscal year.

In other business, the board:

• Approved a request from Saving Birds Thru Habitat to submit, on the non-profit organization’s behalf, a $19,249 grant request to the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. Neve said the group would use the funds to purchase a lawn mower to maintain the bird sanctuary grounds and make improvements and repairs to the grounds as well.

• Approved the annual increase for services from Carroll Cleaning from $17,770 to $18,620. Neve said the township is in the final year of a three-year agreement with Carroll Cleaning, and part of the agreement includes an annual fee increase for each year of the contract. Carroll Cleaning cleans all the township-owned buildings, the township hall and library, the fire station in Northport, and the fire hall and community room in Omena.

• Approved a seven-week leave of absence request from township Zoning Administrator Deborah Serwin, who will be out of the area during that time period. The leave started Jan. 23 and ends on March 14. Neve said assistant zoning administrator Tim Cypher will fill in for Serwin during the period.

• Approved a Planned Site Option Open Space agreement from Carla Hammersley. As part of the agreement, Hammersley will set aside five acres of her 10-acre parcel in open space. In return, she will be allowed to place another residence on her parcel.