An effort by Wabash County Board Chairman Rob Dean to rein in the pay of health department administrator Judy Wissel was shot down yesterday by the board of health.
During the health board’s regular meeting over the noon hour, Dean, who is also a member of the board of health, presented information provided by county treasurer Beverly McBride that showed Wissel’s pay went from $85,000 in 2019 to just over $140,000 last year. Dean said the increase in Wissel’s pay was due in large part from her being transitioned from a salary to hourly pay in 2018. With the pandemic causing a huge amount of overtime, Wissel’s pay went up $55,000 last year compared to the previous year. In 2017 the last year she was salaried, Wissel’s pay was just under $64,000.
Following an executive session, Dean made a motion to move Wissel to a $75,000 a year salary. But, the motion was defeated with only board member Carolyn Peach voting with Dean on the proposal. Dean said Wissel was no different than other salaried county employees who worked extra hours last year….
McBride checked with three other comparable health departments who said their administrators were paid anywhere from $71,000 to $79,000. Some of those salaries were increased by bonuses paid for with COVID relief funds. But, health board member Theresa Marcotte said she was uncomfortable with immediately changing Wissel’s pay from hourly to salary until more information is gathered….
Wissel released a quote to WSJD after the meeting saying “we have all worked extremely hard to fulfill the objectives of the Illinois Department of Public Health and provide community safety through this unprecedented time with COVID. It has taken countless hours from the entire staff at the Health Department to navigate this pandemic.”
The health department board’s next meeting is not until January 13th at which time the issue could be revisited.