Some Elgin managers could see pay bumps

Some Elgin city management employees are in line for pay raises under a new salary schedule that will be considered by the city council on Wednesday.

Employees are being asked to work longer and to do more as the city has laid off people and left other positions vacant, City Manager Sean Stegall said.

So it only fits that the city manager has the ability to reward these "top echelon" employees with performance-based pay to retain them, Stegall said.

"These people that are being promoted, they are so critical to the organization," he said. "They're promotions. They're not raises."

At the same time, with numerous vacancies and impending retirements, the city will spend a little less when hiring their replacements.

Overall, 16 positions might qualify for more annual pay; 12 others might get less pay; 30 are unchanged.

Twenty-one positions have been eliminated since 2009 began, saving an estimated $4.8 million in management payroll a year, as the city looks to become leaner and Stegall reorganizes.

Under the salary schedule, for example, the city attorney has the potential to move up three pay grades from $150,687 a year to $174,439, a 15-percent jump.

But Stegall said that position has more responsibilities, such as handling workman's compensation claims and supervising parts of community development.

Stegall said the city's financial picture largely will determine which salary increases are doled out.

He also stressed that the city has cut its benefits. For example, employees in management positions must pay 15 percent of health insurance premiums, an increase over the current 8.5 percent.

Employees hired after March 1, 2010, must pay 20 percent of health premiums and are not eligible for a city-backed retirement plan called a 401(a).

Councilman David Kaptain said he supports the new pay schedule because it will save the city money in the long run.

"Some of these people have been putting in 50-, 60-hour weeks doing these two or three jobs," he said. "It's a reshuffling of funds. A lot of these (pay increases) are going to be deferred."

Councilman Robert Gilliam noted the city cut payroll instead of raising taxes during the recession.

"It's the right thing to do. We do have people who have taken on extra jobs," he said.

The city council meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Heritage Ballroom at the Centre, 100 Symphony Way.