Fire chief presses board for salary hikes

Grafton Fire Department Chief Bill Rice told village officials Monday he is not at all happy that his request for a pay raise is not included in the village’s proposed 2021 budget. 

“I was told four years ago my pay grade was not right and it was going to be fixed. I was told three years ago the pay grade isn’t right and it’s going to be fixed,” Rice said during a Committee of the Whole executive budget presentation.

“It’s dragged out, and now here I am embarrassed. What do I say? What do I do? I tried to do it right every year, and it’s a different story.

“I feel like someone isn’t being honest, and it isn’t me.”

Rice, whose annual salary is $95,570, asked for a raise of about $9,000 in total for himself and Division Chief Matthew Karpinski, who earns $79,209 annually. Rice said their salaries are below the marketplace for other area chiefs who on average make about $15,000 more.

Village President Jim Brunnquell said Rice’s concerns will be addressed. 

“It’s an issue the board has to address and we will. I will make my commitment to the board and to you as a department, and we will address it,” Brunnquell said.

“We have to separate the issues of budget versus personnel, and we will have to deal with it. It’s not an issue for tonight’s discussion.” 

Trustees David Antoine and Lisa Harbeck said Rice deserves a raise because of the services he provides the village. 

“Why can’t we make it happen?” Antoine asked during the meeting. 

Harbeck agreed. “The Grafton Fire Department is something Ozaukee County looks at and is amazed at. That’s because of the people who work there,” she said.

“The volunteers who work for next to nothing do a good job along with the chief and division chief, too. That’s all related to them.

“The Grafton Fire Department is the best in the county and, unfortunately, they make the least amount of money, so frequently these people are leaving because of the pay. It’s frustrating.”

The board did, however, approve increasing hourly wages for volunteer department members and adding overtime pay for the three full time firefighters. 

During the 2021 budget presentation, Village Administrator Jesse Thyes said the tax rate is expected to be $6.22 per $1,000 of assessed property value, which is a decrease of $1.11, or 15.1%, from last year.

Thyes said the decrease in the tax rate is primarily due to village’s revaluation, which increased the average property value by 22%. That means the owner of $250,000 house will pay $67 less in taxes than in 2020.

Thyes said the 2021 budget is $26.36 million, a decrease of about $1.23 million, or 4.49%, from 2020.

The board will hold a public hearing on next year’s budget at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2. Final approval of the budget is expected at its Monday, Nov. 16, board meeting.