When Lew Steinbrecher retired in December 2016 from the city of Moline, he wasn’t quite done with municipal management.
As a retiree receiving benefits from the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, he was allowed to work up to 1,000 hours a year for another IMRF employer.
So in May 2017, Steinbrecher began working as Monmouth’s city administrator on a part-time basis. Now, after a total of 52 years in the field, Steinbrecher is looking to retire — again.
“Over the past 8 years and 10 months that I have worked for Monmouth, I have donated hundreds of hours to this job without compensation primarily because I have enjoyed working for Monmouth and in gratitude for a life-long career in municipal management that has been kind to me,” Steinbrecher wrote in a memo to the city council.
“This has been a wonderful opportunity to give back to this profession by helping the Monmouth community at the end of my career.”
Steinbrecher has guided the city through major infrastructure improvements, economic development projects, and housing and retail developments. He is now guiding the city and council in funding the salary for a full-time administrator to take his place — acknowledging that finding another experienced administrator who would work part-time is unlikely.
On Steinbrecher’s recommendation, the city council on Monday approved a half-percent increase to the city’s Ameren Gas/Electric Utility tax, from 1.75% to 2.25%, to raise funds to pay for a full-time administrator. That will cost the average residential customer around $2.24 a month.
“We believe that the vast majority of the revenues will come from the larger gas and electric users in the community,” Steinbrecher said.
Steinbrecher said the increase will raise around $117,000 a year. Combined with his current annual compensation, that would provide the city with $170,000 a year to support a salary of up to $140,000 for a new administrator, plus benefits.
In his memo to the council, Steinbrecher said it’s important for the city to recruit candidates that have experience in financial management as well as economic development, and have master’s degrees in public or business administration.
He said it will also be important for the city to pay for professional development opportunities for a new administrator.
Steinbrecher would like to retire in June. But he said he won’t leave Monmouth until a qualified candidate is hired to replace him.
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