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Hobart board backs new 5-year contract for police chief

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By Kevin Boneske

Staff Writer

HOBART – After meeting in closed session Wednesday, Nov. 7, the Hobart village board backed a new five-year contract for Police Chief Randy Bani, said Village Administrator Aaron Kramer.

Kramer said the new contract, which also requires approval from the Lawrence town board with the village and the town having a cooperative police department, calls for Bani to be paid $83,720 in 2019, with annual salary increases of between 3.8 and 4.3 percent, to reach a final salary of $98,280 in 2023.

Bani, who has been with the Hobart/Lawrence Police Department since 2003, will be eligible to receive the same benefits (health, sick leave, retirement, etc.) as the other village employees, Kramer said.

By having a joint police department with Lawrence, Kramer said Lawrence pays one-third of the police budget’s general fund costs, half of the capital expenses and a third of the municipal court costs, with the respective overall budgeted amounts proposed for 2019 being $1,235,570.75, $106,800 and $90,153.02.

Next year’s proposed village budget also calls for adding a police officer to the staff on July 1 with an hourly wage of $25.97 in the first year.

Police salaries/wages are being budgeted at $766,825 for next year, an increase of $63,984 from the amount budgeted for 2018.

Kramer said a 2.5 percent increase has been proposed next year for all full-time employees, unless an individual salary has been approved by a prior board action.

Aaron Kramer, Hobart, Hobart/Lawrence Police Department, Randy Bani

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