Fairview Heights City Council tables vote on economic development director’s contract extension

A resolution calling to extend the contract for the Fairview Heights economic development director was tabled Tuesday night so a pension impact statement could be requested.

Fairview Heights City Council members were expected to vote Tuesday night on a contract extension for the city economic development director Mike Malloy, whose new contract calls for an increase in pay from $71,000 a year to $97,000 through 2017.

City administrator Jim Snider said the law requires those state employees who are to receive 12 percent or more in earnings to have a pension impact statement requested before the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund.

According to the IMRF, the request provides the effect the earnings increase could have on the employee’s pension and estimated amount the city will be required to pay immediately upon the employee’s retirement.

Snider said that soon after the contract extension was added to Tuesday night’s City Council agenda, city officials reviewed the proposal and learned the pension impact statement was required before the term could be approved.

“It is something that we discussed and thought it was wise to go ahead and amend,” Snider said. “It’s a new rule that they passed a couple years ago when they changed some pension issues. It’s just a layer of transparency.”

The contract will be brought back for a vote to the City Council at a future meeting.

Malloy was initially hired by the city in 2011. He had served for 10 years in a similar position for the city of Belleville until 2007.

In other news, council members unanimously approved the appointment of Libby Rich to the city’s beautification committee for a term to expire on July 21, 2016, and Laura Moats was also unanimously approved as a new member of the city’s library board of directors for a term through May 1, 2018.

This story was originally published July 21, 2015 at 9:37 AM with the headline "Fairview Heights City Council tables vote on economic development director’s contract extension."