If you want to treat your moderators as employees then pay them. Otherwise sooner or later there will always be a price to pay, as these people who have been d

If you want to treat your moderators as employees then pay them. Otherwise sooner or later there will always be a price to pay, as these people who have been doing your work for free for years will feel entitled to some ownership and how the site is run and they may not always agree with your agenda.