Wheeling police dispatchers to get pay raises, bonuses under new deal

With Wheeling Police Department's dispatch center set to close in little more than a year, employees will get 3.5% annual pay bumps under a new, two-year contract.

As will the department's community service officers and records clerks.

The village board last week approved the deal with the employees' labor union, the Metropolitan Alliance of Police. It's retroactively effective May 1 and runs through April 30, 2025.

Wheeling's police officers are covered by a different labor agreement.

The 20 affected workers - 11 dispatchers, five community service officers and four clerks - will receive 3.5% raises immediately and again on May 1, 2024, documents show.

Additionally, the dispatchers will receive $100 bonuses per pay period as incentives to keep working for the village until the dispatch center at the police station closes, which is expected in January 2025.

That's when the Arlington Heights-based Northwest Central Dispatch System will begin handling Wheeling's police and fire 911 calls.

Wheeling's fire-related calls now are handled by the Northbrook-based Regional Emergency Dispatch Center.

The board approved the contract without debate as part of the board's consent agenda, which is reserved for routine items. The union ratified the deal last month.

In related action, the board also approved a roughly $659,677 contract with Denver-based Moetivations Inc. to bolster police dispatch staffing until the dispatch center closes.

The pending closure has hurt the village's ability to recruit and retain staff and resulting in "excessive" overtime pay, Police Chief Jamie Dunne said in a memo.

"Outside assistance is necessary in order to continue to provide skilled and exemplary dispatch services," Dunne wrote. "By integrating contracted telecommunicators from Moetivations Inc. with Wheeling staff, the village can bridge the staffing deficit, curtail overtime expenditures and ensure uninterrupted service continuity."

Most of the company's fee will be offset by the resulting reduced overtime costs and the decision to keep vacant staff positions open, documents show.