Winfield votes to double manager's payout

With several residents critical of the decision on hand and one trustee voting against it, the Winfield village board on Thursday approved a change to Village Manager Curt Barrett's contract that will double his severance payments to six months if he were fired without cause.

Additionally, the change adds language that will pay him $200 per month for automobile expenses. Village Attorney David Freeman said the stipulations are standard for manager contracts.

Trustee Jay Olson said the move provides stability at the top, which he says has been lacking in the village for years.

“We have done a good job to negotiate a contract that allows us to get a highly qualified individual that has a strong interest in Winfield and has a passion for Winfield,” he said. “We have not had that for the last decade and we need that to continue.”

However, many residents on hand, including all three recently elected trustees, told the board that the move is an affront to voters because it makes the decision before the new board members take their seats. One of the incoming trustees, Jim Hughes, said the timing of the amendment was illogical.

“While I can see no real probability for Barrett to be terminated for no cause, that does not make it reasonable to simply pass a change in this contract,” said Hughes, who was elected April 5 and will take his seat May 5.

Hughes suggested the board delay the vote and revisit it near the end of Barrett's contract, which by law will expire at the end of Village President Deb Birutis' term in 2013.

“In the private sector, bonuses, benefits and other allowances have been frozen for many of us,” Hughes said. “We have to consider this strongly before we move forward. It's about our village and doing the right thing for Winfield.”

The resolution had been placed on the consent agenda and could have been passed without discussion. However, Olson removed it from the consent agenda, and that opened the door for several trustees to voice their support for Barrett. Trustee Jack Bajor said he thought the move would assure Barrett that his job was secure.

“I certainly would like Mr. Barrett to continue on with confidence,” he said.

Outgoing Trustee Glenn VadeBonCoeur stressed that the move will have no impact on the village's budget if Barrett is not terminated without cause.

However, fellow outgoing Trustee Cliff Mortenson said it was still a bad idea to have the current board vote on a change to Barrett's contract with a new board ready to take over. He also noted that three trustees, including himself, were not elected and instead were appointed.

“I don't think Curt has anything to worry about as far as his job is concerned,” he said. “Additionally, the president is the one who has the right to hire and fire. Having said all of that, I'm not going to be here next month ... the new board should vote on this. Not me.”

During the meeting, Village Attorney Freeman answered several complaints lodged by residents. He said a revised agenda posted online less than 48 hours before the meeting was up at village hall in time to comply with the state's Open Meetings Act. Additionally, he said, the changes in the severance package in Barrett's contract, which pays him $111,000 per year, take effect only if he were terminated without cause. As for concerns about the timing of the resolution, he said trustees had been discussing the move for months.

“Could the timing have been better? Sure, it could have been better,” he said.

In March, trustees revisited Barrett's contract and looked at the severance deal after the second-year village manager said he feared retaliation against him from incoming trustees who had previously accused him of targeting their signs during the campaign.

Village officials have denied those charges, but Birutis and the board pursued the amendment.

“We have a village manager that has high integrity and is expected to follow the ordinances approved by the village board,” Birutis said earlier Thursday. “It would be a detriment to the community if he left Winfield.”

Birutis said the measure had been discussed several times during recent closed sessions but that the timing, which coincides with the final meeting of the current board, “is part of it” and that she wanted to protect Barrett from retaliation “for political reasons.”

“He has done a tremendous job as village manager,” Birutis said. “The village board is trying to do what we can to keep him. He's an asset to the village and has high integrity.”

Incoming trustees Tony Reyes and Tim Allen also spoke to the board Thursday after being alerted to the arrangement by the Daily Herald.

“It was an item that could have been waited until we were seated,” Reyes said. “That would have been the appropriate thing to do.”