A recent addition to the WKU Board of Regents quarterly meeting agenda includes an approval of one-time payment for all full-time employees making less than $65,362.

The regents will vote on the payments on Thursday, Dec. 8 at 1:30 p.m.

“WKU recognizes the difficulties employees face due to rising inflation,” the agenda states. “This payment to employees provides assistance in addressing the burden of the rising cost of goods and services.”

The one-time payment is for $950 to employees making less than $65,362 and who were hired before, or on, July 1, 2022.

Kirk Atkinson, former chair of the Budget Executive Committee, said they discussed several options that were not as popular with the “administrative contingent” before deciding to make this recommendation.

“We settled on using a median salary cutoff and lower amount to ensure that we could recommend a one-time payment to those that were most in need.” Atkinson said in an email. “The majority of faculty will not receive a payment but the majority of staff colleagues will. This is assuming, of course, that it is our recommendation that was the basis of the Budget & Finance Regents vote.”

The payment will be made by decreasing cash on hand by one-and-a-half days, according to the agenda. The total budgetary cost to the university is roughy $1 million, according to the agenda.

WKU President Timothy Caboni recommends that the Board approve the one-time payments.

The notion of one-time payments was originally voted down by the Budget Executive Committee, Jordan Basham, Staff Senate vice-chair, announced at a Staff Senate meeting on Nov. 2. 

According to the same meeting the one-time payments were voted down 15-8 in a closed meeting Nov. 1.

At the time, Basham cited possible budget impact concerns as the reasoning for the no vote. 

The original one-time payment proposal was for two $500 payments to full-time Educational and General funded faculty that were hired prior to Jan. 1, 2022 making less than $100,000. With a one-time $500 payment to partially E&G funded faculty.

Administration reporter Michael Crimmins can be reached at [email protected].