Trustees approve 4-year contract with public works employees

BOURBONNAIS – Bourbonnais village trustees approved a four-year contract with its Public Works employees at Monday’s board meeting.

The contract is retroactive to May 1, 2024, when the last contract expired.

Bourbonnais board attorney Patrick Dunn said employees will get a 7% raise in the first year, 3% in both the second and third years and 4% in the fourth year.

Dunn said negotiations went on for nine to 10 months.

“They were always good conversations,” Dunn said.

Public Works employees are members of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 399. The contract runs from May 1, 2024, to April 30, 2028.

Of the village’s $13.7 million budget for Fiscal Year 2025, the Bourbonnais Police Department accounts for $6.3 million, including $3 million in salaries for the 29-person department. The public works department accounts for $2.3 million with 16 employees.

“We finally settled. It was give and take. It was one of those contracts where everybody felt decent in the end,” Mayor Paul Schore said.

Police chief update

The village opened the application process to hire a new police chief, Schore said.

Dave Anderson was named interim chief following the Feb. 4 retirement of Police Chief Jim Phelps.

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume and professional references to hr@villageofbourbonnais.com. Resumes will be accepted until 4 p.m., April 14, or until filled.

The selection of the new police chief will be among the first orders of business for the new mayor.

Bourbonnais Citizens Party trustee Jeff Keast and current Bourbonnais Township Park District Board Commissioner David Zinanni are vying to replace Schore.

Keast defeated Schore in the February primary.

The Grove update

Trustee Randy King, who chairs the Public Works Committee, informed the board that temporary slow signs have been placed on both sides of East Stratford Drive to alert drivers of the children’s playground at The Grove.

Permanent solar-powered signs will be installed shortly, King said.

As another measure to slow down drivers, a hump is being installed across the roadway.

“This is an effort to slow down traffic in the area,” King said.

Public Works Superintendent Terry Memenga said the hump is wider and shorter than a speed bump.

It also will be removable, he said.

New business

Trustees approved a special use permit ordinance for a new business at 539 Main Street NW for the allowance of tobacco, electronic cigarettes and other smoking supplies to AAA Enterprise LLC doing business as Razz Cigar.

It is opening in the previous location of George’s Stores. The approximately 2,000-square-foot space has been empty since 2015, according to documents.

The business offers premium cigars and a large humidor, Schore said.

Samber Jaber, on behalf of AAA Enterprise LLC, provided testimony during a Feb 27 Planning Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals meeting. Jaber said that they have several businesses in Indiana, and this will be their first store in Illinois.

They focus on premium cigars with big distributors from Virginia and Pennsylvania that supply them with the products. They refer to this as an “outlet” they bring in volume and then act as a wholesaler, according to the document.