City rewards business developer like a business would

Fairview Heights Mayor Mark Kupsky said he and other leaders have been paid for performance in their private sector jobs. They saw that model as appropriate for city Economic Development Director Mike Malloy, who can boost his $86,800 salary by up to $15,000 per year by earning points linked to the size of the developments.

“If he earns the points and brings in development to the city, that’s great for the community. That means he is stabilizing our retail base and economic base, and we will compensate him for these efforts,” Kupsky said.

Amen. If ever there’s been a theme to the advice and criticism of local government delivered on this page, it is that government should be run more like a business.

Setting goals, creating benchmarks and then awarding employees for performance is exactly what government should be doing. The lessons of the private sector should be applied as much as possible in the public sector, and Fairview Heights leaders deserve credit for recognizing that.

This story was originally published November 8, 2015 at 1:00 PM with the headline "City rewards business developer like a business would."