Mayor discusses administrators pay increase

The Village Administrator of St. Joseph is getting a raise.

The annual salary for the position will be increased to $85,000 starting on January 1, 2025. 

The administrator’s annual salary will be increased to $90,000 starting on May 1, 2025.

The administrator’s annual salary will be increased to $95,000 on May 1, 2026. 

The administrator’s annual salary will be increased to $100,000 on May 1, 2027. 

The administrator will receive a one-time bonus of $10,000 during the first pay period of January 2025.

The administrator will get a retention bonus on $15,000 on May 1, 2027.

Mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges said the raise was important to retaining a person she sees as a vital asset to the village.

“Joe works every week more than his 40 hours,” she said. “His hours are never 7:30 to 3:30 like the other employees.  He carries a heavy load of duties to keep the village running as smoothly as possible.”

Fruhling-Voges said that the village administrator oversees large projects, deals with budgets, makes sure the village is following state mandates, deals with employee issues and researches information for the trustees to have available for each meeting. The administrator also deals with the public and works to recruit businesses to the community.

“People who complain about his position have no clue what he does for the village and don’t realize that many of these things were being neglected in the past,” she said.

Fruhling-Voges said in 2009 trustees held a vote to decide if the village should hire an administrator. According to meeting minutes from May 12, 2009 the finance committee, which Fruhling-Voges chaired, recommended moving ahead with interviewing six applicants the village had for the village administrator position. Scott Cousert, Jim Haake and Forest Chism voted no. Fruhling-Voges, Terry Hitt and Aric Silver voted yes. The vote was tied 3-3. Mayor B.J Hackler cast the tie breaking vote and voted not to hire an administrator. According to the minutes, Hackler said he thought when the village grew to 5,000 it would be the time to look at an administrator. However, the overwhelming factor in his decision was what projects the village could do with the $100,000 that would be spent on the position.

Fruhling-Voges said the village had to play catch up once the administrator was hired and she views the current administrator, Joe Hackney, as invaluable.

“There is no other employee that can do his job,” she said. “Not even close.”

Fruhling-Voges said the public needs to understand that the mayor and trustees are not employees. 

“We set policy and over see that those policies to maintain our village are being accomplished,” she said. “I have donated far to many hours to this village over the years doing the work that should have been done by a hired professional.  Trustees over the years worked on committees to attempt to manage the village.  This worked maybe 30 years ago, but part time volunteers running the day to day business of a village of close to 4000 residents just doesn’t cut it any longer.”

Fruhling-Voges said the changes to Hackney’s contract were made in the hopes of retaining him for a few more years.

“We have many large projects happening in the village and will need to consistently be managed by a full-time professional,” she said. “The budgeting of these projects and keeping the proper paperwork filed cannot be mishandled.  We can’t afford to lose Joe.”

Fruhling-Voges said the board had been wanting to increase Hackney’s pay for a while.

“Farmer City hired their new administrator at $122,000,” she said. “The average for village’s our size is at $107,000. The village can give raises anytime they see fit.  It has been done in the past and will can be done anytime when necessary.  With Joe’s new sign on bonus and pay increase he is still making  below the average.”

Fruhling-Voges said she felt facts needed to be shared about Hackney’s job and pay.

“It will never change certain people’s opinions but the facts needed to be shared,” she said.