Macomb, IL – There is a new chief in charge at the Macomb Police Department. The city council agreed to name Curt Barker acting police chief, starting July 7.
Mayor Mick Wisslead says this will give Barker time to prepare for the return of WIU students next month.
"We need to plan how our shifts are going to work and what we're going to do at that particular time," says Wisslead.
Wisslead intends to eventually remove the word "acting" from Barker's title.
The decision to promote Barker raises the question of whether Macomb will have two police chiefs for the next couple months. Mike Galloway's retirement does not take effect until the end of August.
Wisslead says Galloway will use up vacation time and other comp time between now and then. The mayor believes Galloway will make infrequent appearances at the office but will remain in touch until his retirement officially begins.
Wisslead talks about the decision to promote Barker in a brief interview that you can listen to by clicking on the audio button.
Snafu Settled
Macomb aldermen settled a snafu involving some waste water plant workers.
The problem was uncovered recently. The city learned that sometime during the past couple years, the workers were placed on standby for emergencies - even though they're not eligible for standby pay.
Nine emmployees are included in the settlement. They will be paid a total of $5830.
Aldermen gave final approval to the settlement during their July 6 meeting. Only the second ward's Ed Lavin said workers should not receive the money.
"They should have known what was in the contract. It was there in black and white," says Lavin. "So I felt the contract didn't hold up to what they were asking for."
Lavin says he's dealt with union contracts for 43 years. He did not see proof that the employees should have been paid the money.
The union representing the employees acknowledges workers should have caught the mistake. As a result, it did not ask for full reimbursement.
The reimbursement breaks down as follows:
Jason Brandau - $440.00
Tony Johnson - $522.50
Todd DeHaven - $880.00
Mike Barr - $935.00
Wayne Glaspy - $1,265.00
Josh Peters - $632.50
Ben Green - $55.00
Mike Scanlon - $935.00
Steve Dobbs - $165.00