Des Plaines freezes salaries for some employees

Roughly 25 to 30 Des Plaines nonunion, nonmanagement employees will not receive a pay raise this year.

The Des Plaines city council voted 7-0 not to give what would have been a roughly 3.5 percent pay raise after an executive session discussion this week. Ward 5 Alderman James Brookman was absent.

About three-fourths of the city's roughly 350 employees belong to police, fire and public works unions, who will continue to receive raises based on performance reviews.

City officials do not plan to reopen those contracts for renegotiation, Des Plaines Mayor Marty Moylan said.

Officials are working with city management to determine whether their salaries will be frozen as well due to budget constraints, Moylan added.

"We're waiting to see what the department heads are going to propose," Moylan said.

Last year, the city's 12 department heads and other senior staff members voluntarily gave up their pay raises, following the lead of then-City Manager Jason Bajor who gave up a $7,000 bump to his $138,000 yearly salary. The city saved about $70,000.

In 2009, Des Plaines laid off 12 employees and scaled back operations, including privatizing some city services. This year, the city has eliminated 38 employee positions through layoffs, attrition and early retirement incentives.