The village council unanimously approved 5 percent pay raises for all village department heads Monday night. Other non union village employees received raises ranging from 3 to 5 percent.
“We are offering a nice increase to our village (department heads and other employees) in anticipation of increased improvement in the village,” Commissioner Martin Tellalian said. Tellalian was the only commissioner to comment on the raises before the vote.
Tellalian also noted that the pay raises exceeded the increase in the cost of living during the past year.
Police Chief James Ryan and Fire Chief Steve Glinke will continue to be the highest paid department heads. Both will now make $106,500 a year, according to village documents. They continue to be the only department heads to crack the six-figure salary barrier.
Public Work’s Director Bob Kutak will earn $82,950 a year, Public Health and Safety Director Mike Boyle will make $80,099, Finance Director Judy Kovacs will make $72,765, and Community Center Director Bev Thompson will earn $67,381.
Village Clerk Vanessa Moritz, who also is paid for her work as Human Resources Director will now be paid $63,000 a year.
The salary of Village Administrator Michael Sturino, typically the only village employee who has a written contract, has not yet been determined. Sturino has been working without a contract since May 1. Under his old contract Sturino was making $115,000 a year. Village documents indicate that his new salary will probably be between $125,000 and $137,000.
Mayor Anthony Calderone and the rest of the village council have made it clear they intend to retain Sturino and have said that working out the details of his contract will just be a matter of time.
In other action Monday night the village council unanimously voted to award a taxicab license to a new cab company to be called E-Cabs. The new cabs run on E-85, a corn based fuel, according to Mike Shapiro who is organizing the new non-profit cab company. E-cabs will operate four cars.
“The bottom line is that it is supporting the American farmer and the American community instead of foreign oil interests,” Shapiro, a Chicago resident who now drives a taxi for the Red Cab company said.
The council also unanimously adopted two amendments to the zoning code.
Multi-family buildings will now be eligible to have their requests for permissible modifications to non-conforming structures heard by the zoning administrator, typically Mike Boyle, under the same conditions that single-family homeowners have for the past year. And garage replacements for non-conforming garages will also be able to use the normally faster and less expensive zoning administrator process as long as the new garage does not increase the degree of non-conformity.
Finally, veteran firefighter Don Cheval took the oath of office as a new lieutenant. Cheval will replace Jim Urban, who recently retired.
“All I can say is that I will do the best I can for the village and the members of the fire department,” Cheval said. He joined the Forest Park Fire Department in 1979.
