Naperville councilmen wince at giving up perks

If Naperville City Council members truly want to save money and send a cost-cutting message to employees, Councilman Robert Fieseler says there's no time like the present.

Fieseler caused fur to fly during a late Monday budget discussion by suggesting all eight council members reduce their annual pay to $10,000 from their current salaries ranging from $11,413 to $11,687, as well as foregoing the $1,200 annual stipend for Internet and cell-phone costs and eliminating the health benefits package available to elected officials.

He also asked Mayor George Pradel to cut his salary from $28,533, including his pay as liquor commissioner, to $20,000, along with reducing his other benefits.

“Let's resolve right now to change the salary moving forward to $10,000 and take away the (benefits and annual stipends) starting on May 1, 2011,” Fieseler said after promising to expose the elephant in the room. “That might get some people to come to council and speak on whether council should make a certain number of dollars and we don't have this ‘Do I decide to turn it back?' question every year.”

Ironically, Fieseler and Councilman Doug Krause were the only two members to accept the 2.4 percent pay increase offered to council members this past June, which put their salaries at $11,687.

“As I said at that time, I thought the giveback that several of my colleagues did was grandstanding and pretty much meaningless,” Fieseler said. “If you want to make a statement, roll back the increases and give up the other perks.”

The worst, he said, is the roughly $1,000 monthly cost for each council member who pays a 15 percent premium for the same health care package available to employees.

“We shouldn't be paying councilmen health benefits. That's a worse deal than the $11,000 we're being paid,” he said. “I think we ought to be intellectually honest and take our pay back to $10,000 and have people pay for their own health care.”

Councilman Paul Hinterlong was Fieseler's only vocal supporter, especially regarding the $1,200 annual stipend.

“You could cut my pay and I would probably vote for it but benefits are available to me just as they are for every other city employee,” said Councilman Grant Wehrli before also declining to give up the annual stipend. “Part of what this job is all about is being available and accessible to the residents. They can call me on my cell phone. It's on my business card. They can e-mail me because my e-mail address is on my business card.”

Councilman and likely mayoral candidate Kenn Miller also scolded Fieseler and called his timing inappropriate.

“I work for this city about 50 percent of the time so excuse me if they want to offer me benefits,” Miller said. “I appreciate that.”

Councilman Dick Furstenau questioned why councilmen get paid at all if it only amounts to $1.25 an hour but said he learned the hard way how good the benefits package can be.

“When I first got here, everyone was complaining that the benefits were no good and the only way to figure that out was to get on the plan,” he said. “So I got on the plan and I found out the benefits are the best around. And we started charging people, at this council's instance, about eight or nine years ago.”

Before Pradel sent everyone home to “cool off” from the heated 12-minute debate, Furstenau said things got out of hand.

“I don't think an issue exists,” he said. “You put the kind of time in that we put into this place, a few extra bucks to buy dinner afterward isn't going to hurt anybody.”

The city's next budget workshop is scheduled for 5 p.m. Nov. 30.