Oak Park’s village board has unanimously approved an amendment to its employment agreement with Village Manager Kevin Jackson, granting him a more than $30,000 raise, a take-home vehicle for village business and a $100,000 loan for a personal residence.
Jackson’s salary will now be $261,500, up from $231,400, a 13% increase. Wednesday Journal last reported a raise to Jackson’s salary in August 2023, from $222,500 to $231,400, a 4% increase.
The raise is going into effect retroactively to March 14, 2024. Village President Vicki Scaman said his salary hike is linked to when his last contract ended.
“Delays can happen but once a review is complete it is fair and common practice to be retroactive,” she told Wednesday Journal. “The delay in conducting the village manager’s review was due only to scheduling challenges.”
Jackson has served in the village manager role since early 2022. The village board held a special meeting Jan. 22 this year to discuss, in executive session, “employment compensation and performance of specific employees.”
“I am grateful for the board’s confidence in me to continue in my role as village manager and deeply honored to continue serving all of Oak Park,” Jackson told Wednesday Journal. “Together, we are invested in the important ideals of diversity, equity and inclusion and I am excited to continue to do the work necessary to build a future where these values guide the decisions we make and actions we take every day.”
As part of the agreement, the village will also provide Jackson with a village-owned vehicle for village business. The car will have an electric motor and a minimum range of 300 miles, according to the agreement. The village will maintain and insure the car.
Jackson can take the car home overnight and “may use it for periodic personal use,” the agreement states, but has to report that personal use annually to the village.
The village board has also approved granting Jackson a loan in the amount of $100,000 for a personal residence. The loan won’t be granted if Jackson rents or resides in Oak Park without being the owner of the fee simple title, signifying full ownership of the property.
If Jackson stops working for the village voluntarily, he must repay that loan for residence within either six months after the date that employment is terminated or by the closing date of the sale of fee simple title to the Oak Park residence, whichever comes first.
Although the agreement was approved as part of Tuesday’s consent agenda, Scaman briefly addressed it. She said updates to the village manager’s salary are made after careful consideration of the market rate and comparable compensation with villages of similar size and workload.
“The village manager’s contract falls within the median range and demonstrates confidence in his performance,” she said. “It is personally my honor to serve alongside Village Manager Kevin Jackson.”
“My family and I are proud to call Oak Park home and we will continue to be rooted in this community for many years to come,” Jackson told Wednesday Journal.