Carpentersville staff present new compensation philosophy; recommend limited adjustments for five nonunion employees

The village’s HR director presented a compensation philosophy and proposed salary schedule to the board April 21, outlining a 29‑grade pay structure aimed at improving internal equity and market competitiveness for nonunion positions.

HR staff explained the methodology: updating a cohort of comparable communities, collecting market pay data, using a point‑factor analysis to assign positions to grades, and overlaying market data to set ranges. The structure includes a “no classification” grade to accommodate seasonal and internship positions and intentionally leaves some grades empty to provide flexibility for future positions.

Staff identified five employees whose current pay falls below the proposed minimum for their assigned grade and recommended a two‑phase approach to correct those outliers. The initial phase—subject to board direction—would apply immediate adjustments not to exceed 10% of the affected employees’ base pay, which staff estimated would cost roughly $16,000 in the remainder of the 2026 budget year. Staff said approximately $6,000 of additional base‑pay adjustments would be considered in the next budget year. No board action was required that evening; staff requested general direction to proceed with implementation planning.

Trustees asked clarifying questions about chart labels, grade placements and the number of outliers; HR clarified the chart’s midpoint labeling and explained that most outliers were employees hired within the last three years.