New Cary police chief gets less pay, more time off
Cary officials have acknowledged their new police chief took a substantial pay cut when he signed on to lead its 27-member police force into the future.
But an employee contract for new Chief Steve Casstevens shows the village is compensating him in other ways.
As assistant chief in Hoffman Estates, Casstevens now makes $122,000 and is due to collect a pension from the department once he retires Friday to take the top cop job in Cary, which is effective next Tuesday.
Casstevens will start out making $110,000 a year in Cary, but after a six-month probationary period, his salary will rise to $114,000. His next opportunity for a raise would come as part of the village's 2011 nonunion performance merit adjustments, the contract states.
Both Cary Village President Tom Kierna and Casstevens said the village collaborated on the agreement and that there were no sticking points.
“There isn't anything in there that's nonnegotiable,” Kierna said.
Casstevens, 52, will also receive 25 days or 200 hours of vacation time, effective immediately, “as an inducement” for him to become police chief, the contract states. After that, he will accrue a maximum of 200 hours a year. Cary is giving Casstevens 96 hours of sick time annually at the start, as well as life insurance, health, dental and vision insurance.
He will also receive a village-owned car that the village will maintain as well as gas. He must pay for gas for personal use. Out-of-state drives in the car are limited to official police business, the contract states.
Pension contributions, a uniform allowance, a cellular phone and membership dues to the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police are additional items the village will cover.
Casstevens will reimburse the village for any personal calls he makes with the village mobile phone and can't join any other police groups without the village administrator's consent.
The six-page agreement expires April 30, 2012, but will be automatically extended annually each May if neither one of the parties gives written notice within 120 days of the end of the contract date.
Under the agreement, Casstevens is not entitled to overtime and would instead receive time off if he works beyond a 40-hour week. If the village terminates Casstevens, he will get four months severance pay based on his salary at the time he's let go. He will not receive severance pay if he is no longer physically able to be police chief, if he's fired for being convicted of a felony and if, during the last month of his employment, he refuses to help train his replacement, the contract says.
The board approved the contract and Casstevens' hire last week. Casstevens said he can't wait to get to work in Cary.
“It's a size of agency I've been looking for, for my career, not too large, not too small,” Casstevens said. “My initial goal is to sit back and listen for a while. I think that's important for a new chief, not to come in making changes.”