Rolling Meadows city council tackles salary issues

Discussions about future salaries for Rolling Meadows employees kicked off Tuesday as the city council focused on ways to cut costs.

The discussion, which centered around the city’s need to hire a mechanic, could serve as a preview to a July 5 meeting that will encompass how the city could restructure its pay scale for all city positions. The final agreement could influence the new contracts for police and firefighters, as they started the bargaining process with the city council in a closed-door session after Tuesday’s meeting.

Council members suggested everything from a 10-level pay scale to a maximum starting salary and even abolishing the automatic annual salary increases in the current system.

Alderman Larry Buske argued the new mechanic should be hired at no more than the level one salary of $38,982. Some councilmen, such as Alderman John D’Astice, worried that would handcuff the city in finding the best candidate.

D’Astice proposed implementing a 10-year pay scale in which the new hire would not realize the maximum salary until after a full 10 years if hired at the level one starting point or, hypothetically, four years if hired at the level six salary point.

Others wanted to do away with the automatic increases altogether.

“I don’t see the point in 5 percent annual increases,” Alderman Jim Larsen said.

The future of the pay scale and whether all employees must start at the level one salary could affect the firefighters and police officers as they enter contract negotiations. Both firefighters and police members are on an eight-year pay scale, but only firefighters are hired at the level one starting point every time regardless of experience. Police members can be hired at a higher level, depending on experience, meaning it would take fewer years to hit the maximum salary level.

Alderman Robert Banger Jr. said the discussion should encompass all government employees and not just a single mechanic.

“I’d like to have rolled this (discussion) up in salaries across the board,” he said.

While the city police prepare for collective bargaining challenges, they did receive some good news at Tuesday’s meeting when the council approved the redeployment of two police motorcycles.

Police Chief Dave Scanlan said the motorcycles would be used only during the day for park patrols, speed enforcement and for public relations purposes. The department attempted to sell the motorcycles at the minimum price last year, but failed.

The $500 to prepare the motorcycles for use was covered by a personal donation from Richard Kimball, a Rolling Meadows business manager who runs Allied Home Mortgage.

The city council also discussed increasing the fine for residents who fail to keep their grass under eight inches and keep their yards clear of dead trees and overgrown bushes. Some suggested increasing the $225 fine to $1,000, mainly to target banks in control of foreclosed homes that fail to care for the property, but they were told legal barriers make it unfeasible.

Still, it could be an issue on the council’s agenda in the coming months.

“If the bank is in possession of a home, is $225 really enough?” D’Astice asked. “Make it something that is going to pinch them.”

The council is scheduled to meet again July 5 to discuss salary issues for all city employees.