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LaSalle County committee approves pay increase for EMA deputy director
Summary
The LaSalle County Salary & Labor Committee on March 25 approved raising the emergency management agency deputy director's salary to $65,000 after hearing the director describe near-completion of certification and strong performance; the raise passed 6-1 though funding was not pre-budgeted.
Fred Moore, LaSalle County emergency management director, asked the Salary & Labor Committee on March 25 to raise the county's EMA deputy director's pay to $65,000, citing rapid progress toward the Illinois Professional Emergency Manager certification and strong on-the-job performance.
Moore told the committee the deputy had completed most of the roughly 30-32 training components required for the state certification and had "far outperformed my expectations" during six months on the job. Moore said the deputy still lacks five classes, which he attributed to those courses being offered infrequently in Illinois, and that he had requested two of those classes to be held locally this year.
The $65,000 figure comes from a January 2025 wage survey Moore said was requested by the committee. "The suggested wage would be from salary from public safety is to raise his salary to 65 effective first pay period in April," Moore said. He told members the deputy's current pay is about $56,000.
Committee members questioned how training completion is documented and whether the deputy participates in the county's health insurance; Moore said training transcripts are maintained by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and that the employee does not take county insurance, which Moore and members noted reduces county benefit costs. Members also pressed whether the department's current budget includes funds for the increase; Moore said the department had requested up to $65,000 in the budget but had been asked to wait for the six-month review and that the increase was not currently budgeted.
Members discussed options for covering the cost, including letting the line run in the red until year-end if other lines come in under budget or pursuing a formal budget amendment through finance. Several members framed the decision as weighing retention of trained staff against budget timing concerns.
After discussion, the committee moved to approve the increase. In a roll-call vote, Joe Osipinski, Tina Bush, Kathy Bright, James Bailey, Pat Walsh and Chair Steve Aubrey voted yes; Mike McKemery voted no. The motion passed 6-1.
The committee did not specify the financing mechanism at the meeting; members and staff indicated finance could implement a budget amendment or absorb the half-year cost if other lines come in under budget. The committee recorded no change in the effective date beyond Moore's request that the raise take effect the first pay period in April.
The motion resolved the personnel question at the committee level; any budget adjustments will be handled through regular finance procedures.
