Morton board approves five-year firefighter contract, raises fines for unpermitted digging and OKs festival transfers

The Village of Morton Board of Trustees approved a five-year collective bargaining agreement with the Morton Fire and EMS Local 4952 union and adopted an ordinance increasing penalties for excavations done without a permit, while also approving several fund transfers for 2025 festival expenses and authorizing motor fuel tax purchases.

The agreement with Local 4952 includes a five-year wage and terms package that, as presented to the board, sets paramedic wage increases at 3.5 percent for years two through five and 3.75 percent for year three. Trustees voted to adopt the contract as Resolution 18-26 after staff said tentative agreements had been reached and the parties would return with additional promotional language to establish rank structure in a side letter.

The contract matters and the excavation-penalty ordinance led the board's action items of the evening because both change ongoing costs and enforcement practice. The board also approved two transfers from the tourism fund to the general fund to cover 2025 festival expenses, authorized up to $102,000 in Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) funds for salt purchases for calendar year 2026, appointed a resident to a municipal commission and approved a closed session under the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

Collective bargaining agreement

Trustees approved Resolution 18-26, the proposed collective bargaining agreement with Morton Fire and EMS Local 4952. Village staff described the package as a five-year agreement with negotiated wage adjustments…