Question: is there a cap on the amount of stipend income that commissioners can earn? The mention of a $1000 annual amount is rather startling. My concern about this use of stipends is that it introduces a possibility of patronage into committee appointments. Even with the practice of having these challengeable by the rest of the board, it places undue power in the hands of the chair to reward individuals by giving them lucrative appointments. As I understand the revision, the commissioners are no longer obligated to inform the administration as to whether they attended a meeting or not. Thus awarding a committee assignment is a direct payment.