Naperville’s nonunion employees in line for raises

For the first time in four years, Naperville is poised to reward its roughly 330 nonunion employees with pay raises.

City council members are expected today to vote on a proposal by City Manager Doug Krieger to create a 2 percent compensation merit pool effective May 1.

Krieger said $760,000 is included in the fiscal 2012 budget as a result of several financial indicators the city has been monitoring.

Sales tax revenue received last month, based on December 2010 receipts, was higher than any month in the past three years. January unemployment numbers were the lowest since March 2009, and building permit revenues are up 22 percent over this time last year.

Krieger said the move is meant to improve morale and prove the city’s commitment to fairness and equity among employees.

Nonunion employees have not received a wage increase since fiscal year 2008 and have been paying 15 percent of health insurance premiums. Union employees, however, received negotiated raises in both fiscal years 2009 and 2010.

“I feel like it’s just the right thing to do and the right time,” Krieger said. “And I believe we have the votes on the council to do it.”

Councilman Bob Fieseler, who holds office hours at city hall twice a week, said he wishes the council had six more months of data to analyze but agrees the numbers are trending in the right direction and employees should benefit.

“I do think nonunion employees are due for a modest bump, and that’s what this is,” Fieseler said Friday. “I’m OK with it.”

If approved today, Krieger said each of the city’s department heads will be given 2 percent of their nonunion salary budget to distribute to their employees based on merit.

Some departments with a higher number of nonunion employees include the human resources and information technology departments.