East Central Reporter

The Shelby County Fraternal Order of Police is trying to persuade the County Board to vote "no" on changing the payroll schedule so county workers get paid in arrears, as opposed to the current system of paying workers in advance.

Shelby County Treasurer Erica Firnhaber believes the county has issued $500,000 in over-payments to county workers over the past few years, according to Illinois Leaks and the Edgar County Watchdogs.

Firnhaber believed she had enough votes to change the payroll schedule with a one-vote margin. That's when Mark Russillo, a union representative with the Shelby County Fraternal Order of Police, presented a letter signed by all 29 members of the order to the County Board asking that the schedule not be changed, according to the Edgar County Watchdogs.

"It has been brought to·our attention that the County Board intends to update the salary schedule from a 'current pay' system to an 'arrears' pay system by reducing employee salaries during the month of May 2020," the letter reads. "It is also our understanding that employees would be forced to expend hard-earned benefit time to make up this shortfall. It is our considered opinion this act would be a detriment to the economic well-being of members of our union, by creating undue financial hardship to us, and to the County economy as a whole.”

According to Illinois Leaks, there are a few falsehoods in this letter. The Edgar County Watchdogs said Fraternal Order of Police members are paid hourly, so their salaries will not be reduced.  

Under the new pay schedule, they will only be paid for hours they actually worked, instead of being paid in advance. The resolution to fix the pay schedule does not mention any use of benefit time.

Russillo was asked how changing the pay schedule to time worked instead of payments in advance would negatively impact the economic well-being of Fraternal Order of Police members, but he declined to answer that question, according to Illinois Leaks.

Russillo also argued a new pay schedule deviates from the Fraternal Order of Police contracts but the Edgar County Watchdogs said this is a falsehood because there are no wage changes and all the provisions in the Fraternal Order of Police contracts remain unchanged.

The Shelby County Board Meeting can be viewed at this website.