In a meeting that lasted 3 and a half hours last night, park officials in Rochelle approved a new 5 year union contract for their employees along with a 2 year deal for non-union full-time staff.
The union contract for the 4 employees is retroactive to March of 2015. Pay raises range between 40 cents to $1.10 per hour. Executive Park District Director Eric Christensen said that the keys issues in negotiations included money, benefits, and insurance coverage.
The park district had been paying all insurance costs in the past.
The union have also ratified the contract.
The non-union workers will see a 3 percent pay raise for the past fiscal year and 2 percent in the current fiscal year.
The board approved the intergovernmental agreement with the city involving the Fairways Golf Course. The park district will manage the day to day operations.
A tentative budget and appropriation was approved as expenditures total 2.8 million dollars, an increase of 2 percent from the past fiscal year. Christensen said that they are looking at a deficit of nearly $39,000 for the Spring Lake swimming pool.
The red number last summer totaled just under $42,000.
The park district plans to spend $5,000 for the replacement of the 2 6-foot wide bridges at Skare Park. The RTHS Interact Club raised $16,500 for the project.
Changes will also be made in the smoke-free ordiance for the parks. They include more signs and an increase in fines for violators. They begin at $100 and go to $250.
