Wauconda cops to get raises under 4-year contract
Wauconda's rank-and-file police officers will get pay raises under a new, four-year labor contract.
Officers will receive 2.5% bumps this year, retroactively effective May 1. They'll receive 2.75% raises on May 1, 2020, 3.5% raises in 2021 and 3.25% raises in 2022.
The village board approved the pact with the Fraternal Order of Police on Tuesday.
The deal covers 17 patrol officers. The department's six sergeants are covered by a different labor agreement. The remaining employees - the chief, the deputy chief and two administrative assistants - aren't unionized.
Under the new pay structure, a rookie police officer will collect an estimated $68,864 salary this year. Starting salaries will increase in each subsequent year, reaching $75,614 in 2022.
The average salary for Wauconda's rank-and-file officers will be $93,927 this year. The sum is high, Village Administrator Kevin Timony said, because average tenure with the department is 14 years.
"We have a very senior group of officers," Timony said.
The officers' health insurance benefits are changing, too. Officers will contribute more toward premium expenses over the course of the contract, Timony said.
Additionally, starting in 2021, the medical deductible and out-of-pocket-maximum amounts will increase, he said.
Contract negotiations began in February. Timony called the process positive and professional.
The deal keeps Wauconda competitive when it comes to recruiting and retaining officers but also helps "hold the line" on operating expenses, Timony said.