Should Elburn pay to have administrator leave now?

If Elburn trustees don't think village administrator Erin Willrett is right for the job anymore, is it worth it to pay her to leave immediately?

Or is it better to wait for her annual appointment to expire April 30 and refuse to approve a reappointment, saving the village severance pay?

The matter will be reviewed Monday, when the board is set to take another vote on a proposal in which Willrett resigns, in exchange for severance pay. The board refused, 4-2, to do so earlier this week.

Village President Dave Anderson declined to reveal the amount of pay the board denied Tuesday, or what is in the proposal for Monday.

But he made clear he opposes getting rid of Willrett.

Anderson said he wanted to reappoint her, as he does every year, but "my reappointment would not have been confirmed," he said.

The village board votes on his appointments of department heads; usually they are routine approvals, given unanimously.

"She has done a great job," Anderson said.

Willrett does not have a contract. She makes $103,569 a year.

David Gauldoni voted "no," he said because of the money.

"She can resign any time she wants," Gualdoni said. But, he added, "I'm not going to pay somebody to sit at home."

When former Police Chief Steven Smith retired at the end of 2015, the village paid him for unused sick and vacation time.

The proposal for Willrett was strictly salary, according to Gualdoni. Anderson said Monday's proposal calls for also paying sick and vacation time. Willrett would have left Jan. 29.

Requests for copies of the proposal the board voted on, and the letter of resignation, have not been answered so far. Anderson and Gualdoni declined to discuss details.

Whether Willrett works through April 30 is up to her, Anderson and Gualdoni said.

Gualdoni voted against all of Anderson's appointments last year.

He said he would not approve reappointing Willrett in May because the village needs a "change of direction." "We want to get somebody in there with more experience," he said, particularly in dealing with growth.

For example, if the Elburn Station mixed-use development is built as approved, it could double the town's population.

Trustee Jeff Walter said that the package he voted against on Tuesday was to pay her about $40,000 worth of salary, unused sick days and unused vacation days.

He, too, wants her gone. But he sees no reason not to have her work through April, if it saves the village money, he said.

Walter said he especially wants more attention paid to economic development, including being more proactive about seeking businesses.

Willrett has not responded to requests for comment.