Why Is Burr Ridge Giving $38,000 In Severance?

BURR RIDGE, IL — Burr Ridge Village Administrator Doug Pollock appears to be leaving the village on his own accord. Yet the Village Board voted Monday for an agreement with Pollock that would provide him with $38,000 in severance pay under a separation agreement.

Severance pay is generally understood to mean a payment to an employee upon discharge from employment.

In Pollock's case, he is retiring Nov. 6 after a quarter century with the village, the last three as its administrator. He had no employment agreement with the village that included provisions for severance pay.

Pollock's relations with the board appear amicable. He sat next to Mayor Gary Grasso at Monday's board meeting.

At the meeting, Trustee Zach Mottl asked about the severance pay, which is due Pollock by December under the agreement.

"I don't understand why it's going to cost residents 38 grand," he said. "Doug was well-compensated for his time here. I don't think he provided the value for that, and I think he's getting a great pension."

Grasso responded that the severance was part of the agreement that was negotiated.

In a text to Burr Ridge Patch on Tuesday, the mayor said the severance is part of the overall plan for Pollock to resign early to become the village's part-time planner, the position he held for two decades before becoming the administrator.

Pollock's early retirement, Grasso said, opens the path for someone who the Village Board believes is ready to become village administrator.

Grasso did not identify that person, but Assistant Village Administrator Evan Walter has been mentioned in the community as a worthy candidate for the top job.

The trustee voted 5-1 for the separate agreement, with Mottl as the lone dissenter.