Memorandum Number 715
SUBJECT TO FINAL EDITING
Legality of Setting Salaries of Individual District Superintendents Based on Their Previous Salaries.
Digest
The Constitution, in Par. 36, grants final authority to the Annual Conference to act on matters expressly given by the Discipline.
Upon an annual recommendation of the Council on Finance and Administration, an Annual Conference may establish a formula for salaries and related expenses of district superintendents. Such action by the Annual Conference is consistent with Par. 711.1(a) of the Discipline.
Statement of Facts
The 1994 Session of the Virginia Annual Conference took action which required the Conference Council on Finance and Administration to make recommendations for district superintendents salaries on a formula based on each district superintendent's last salary in the appointive process plus a fixed dollar amount set by the Annual Conference upon recommendation of Conference Council on Finance and Administration. The formulas contained certain upper and lower limits on the salaries. The Conference Council on Finance and Administration would calculate the salaries and related expenses for submission to the conference for consideration and approval in its Annual Budget Request. Bishop Stockton ruled the conference action was legal under Par. 711.1(a) of the 1992 Discipline which is consistent with Par. 36, of the Constitution, granting final authority to the Annual Conference to act.
Inasmuch as the process will only produce a recommendation from the Conference Council on Finance and Administration for final action by the Annual Conference, we find no disciplinary prohibition. At the time of consideration by the Annual Conference, the recommendation or any part thereof can be approved, rejected or modified.
Bishop Stockton's ruling is affirmed.