Daily Archives: February 4, 2011

City Council, City of Peoria

Urich to start making $175k on April 18

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Patrick UrichThe City Council will hire Patrick Urich as Peoria City Manager next Tuesday night. Urich recently gave 90 days notice of his resignation as Peoria County Administrator. You can read the proposed contract on the City’s website. Here are the highlights:

  • Base Salary: $175,000 for the first year
  • Starting Date: April 18, 2011
  • Incentive Pay: To be negotiated during first three months of employment
  • Car Allowance: $500/month
  • Vacation Days: 15
  • Sick Days: 10
  • Personal Days: 5
  • Health Benefits: Same as all other City employees
  • Term Life Insurance: Paid for by City, not to exceed three times base salary; premiums not to exceed $800/yr.
  • Deferred Compensation (457 Plan): Lesser of 9% of base salary or maximum deferred contribution allowed (currently $16,500)
  • Retirement System: Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF)
  • Fringe Benefits: Laptop; cell phone; dues for local civic organization memberships; dues for membership in two national, one regional, and one state professional association; travel and other expenses to attend one national and one state conference per year; reimbursement of job-affiliated expenses.
  • Involuntary termination: Lump sum of 9 months salary if terminated within first two years; 8 months if terminated in year three; 7 months if terminated in year four; 6 months salary if terminated in year five or later. All accrued but unused vacation leave up to 200 hours will be reimbursed. All life, health, dental, and disability insurance continues for 12 months (or until he’s hired somewhere else, whichever comes first) if he’s terminated within the first three years.

How does this compare to previous City Manager Scott Moore’s compensation package? Moore’s base salary was set at $165,000 for the first two years; Urich’s is $175,000 for the first year only. Moore’s contract also capped his salary increase at 8%; no cap exists in Urich’s. The city paid for life insurance equal to Moore’s base salary; will pay for life insurance equal to three times Urich’s base salary. The city contributed 8% of Moore’s base salary toward a deferred compensation (457) plan; Urich is getting 9%. Moore got six months’ salary upon involuntary termination; that would have dropped to four months if Moore had been terminated after serving two years; Urich gets nine months salary if he’s terminated within the first two years. Moore’s contract included no provision for incentive pay, but did include moving expenses since he was coming from out of state.

One last interesting tidbit. This will make the third City Manager who doesn’t go by his first name. Randy Oliver was really Charles R. Oliver. Scott Moore was really L. Scott Moore. And Patrick Urich is really F. Patrick Urich. What is it about City Managers that makes them go by their middle names?

Peoria Public Schools, Weather

Lathan says school will resume Monday

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In this week’s “Remarkable Times,” the e-newsletter sent out by District 150, there’s this message from Dr. Grenita Lathan explaining why the schools have been closed so many days this week:

Peoria received its largest snowfall in many years and with it, Peoria Public Schools took one of its longest runs of consecutive snow days. School closures were not because of a lack of trying! In fact, we appreciate and congratulate the city, state and PPS staffs for a job well done! PPS would like to thank our Buildings and Grounds and Transportation employees for their tireless efforts to remove snow from our properties, parking lots and sidewalks, as well as for working to dig out our fleet of 150 buses. Our hand scheduling management Payroll staff and other twelve month employees also worked to keep the District operating during this time.

As mentioned above the District operates 150 buses and has 10,825 students eligible to ride the bus to and from school on any given day. When you combine those numbers and the amount of snow cleared from our city streets, it becomes clear why student safety is a concern. There are very few sidewalks cleared, forcing our students to wait or walk in the street. Add the large snow piles on street corners that block drivers’ views, and students’ safety becomes at risk.

I encourage our community, parents, neighbors and friends to help ensure a safe school day as we plan to return to school on Monday, by clearing sidewalks and driveways over the weekend, or at the least, a safe spot for students to stand as they wait for the bus. Drivers and students should also take extra caution during the school day.

With your assistance, we can help our students return to the classroom in a safe manner.

Thank you for your continued support of Peoria Public Schools!

City of Peoria, Peoria Public Schools

City: Residential plowing complete

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The City sent out this announcement this morning at 6 a.m.:

Residential plowing is completed and 90% of alleys are being reported as plowed. The Snow Route Parking Ban is no longer in effect.

Even though residential plowing is completed, I’m told District 150 buses are still unable to traverse the residential streets, and that’s why school was cancelled today.