Shorewood Hills trustees approve multi-part retention bonuses after heated debate

Trustees approved a sequence of personnel payments at the Feb. 24 meeting intended to retain administrative staff amid an acknowledged staffing shortfall.

Administrator Brian Mooney told trustees the staffing situation was “dire,” saying the Village has lost institutional knowledge and lacks backups for key financial and administrative tasks. That assessment framed a contentious personnel discussion in which trustees weighed whether cash incentives would address staffing culture and long-term retention.

The Board considered three separate motions under the Personnel Committee’s recommendations. A motion by Ullsvik and Lotfi to approve lump-sum appreciation payments to Clerk-Treasurer Julie Fitzgerald ($5,000) and Ballinger ($2,500) failed on a 2–5 roll call. A subsequent motion by Lederer and Barford to approve lump-sum appreciation payments to administrative staff (Mooney $5,000; Fitzgerald $5,000; Ballinger $2,500) passed 5–2. Later, the Board approved a third motion (Barford/Lederer) to provide larger retention bonuses for Mooney, Fitzgerald, and Ballinger in amounts of $15,000, $15,000, and $7,500 respectively to be paid over the next 10 months; that motion carried 4–3.

Trustees raised questions about funding sources and totals. Trustee Ullsvik noted that salary savings from vacant positions (about $18,000) and payments to interim staff would affect net savings and that the total scheduled payouts equaled $37,500. Several trustees called for long-term structural solutions in addition to one-time payments; others argued the incentives were necessary to keep experienced staff while recruitment and cross-training continue.

The Board recorded the roll-call votes for each motion. The approvals set short-term financial commitments for staff retention and directed administration to process payouts according to the approved schedules.