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9.3.03 Next M.U.D. Board will receive pay raise Metropolitan Utilities District board members will get a 40 percent pay raise over three years beginning in January 2005. The board voted 4-3 Wednesday to approve the raises, which won't begin taking effect until the next board term. By state statute, a sitting board cannot vote itself a pay raise. The increase is identical to one approved in July 2000 by the Omaha Public Power District. Monthly M.U.D. Board pay, which is now $800, will increase to $1,120 by January 1, 2007. Pay for the board chairman will go from $900 a month to $1,260 a month. Voting for the increase were John McCollister, Tim Cavanaugh, Tom Dowd and Mary Kay Begley. Opposing it were Dave Friend, Jack Frost and Mark Doyle. Last year, some board members tried unsuccessfully to increase pay. That move was opposed, in part, because it came just after an election. Cavanaugh said the timing is better now, with the economy beginning to pick up. "I don't want us to fall behind comparable utility boards," said Cavanaugh. "We want to make this board attractive to candidates." The M.U.D. Board hasn't had a pay raise since 1991 and probably won't see another one for a good while. State law limits how much boards can be compensated; a bill passed several years ago made this increase and the OPPD increase possible. Dowd said the increase was long overdue. "I don't think anyone should be ashamed to vote for it," he said. "It won't take full effect until 2007. It's a very conservative approach." Board members said they have been conservative by delaying the increase several years after the OPPD Board raised its board compensation. Doyle said he didn't believe the additional pay was necessary. "Personally for me," he said, "it's a privilege to serve on the board. It's a well-compensated position, but I would do it for free, I really would." Board Salary History
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