Brookfield’s deputy police chief, forced out as part of a cost-cutting last year, will receive nearly $59,000 when he retires on June 30 under the terms of a separation agreement signed March 12.
According to the agreement, Deputy Chief Jeff Leh will be paid for 300 hours of vacation time and 840 hours of sick pay in addition to 32 hours of personal time at a rate of $50.32 an hour.
The total amount to be paid to Leh upon retirement will be $58,975.04.
The village will also pay the medical and dental insurance premiums for Leh and his family for the next two years, according to the agreement.
Leh, a 26-year veteran of the police force, was given the choice in December 2009 of either retiring at his current salary or taking a pay cut to return to the rank of lieutenant. The position of deputy police chief was eliminated by Village Manager Riccardo Ginex as part of a series of cost-cutting moves last year.
While Leh as deputy chief was no longer a member of the police union, several of the perks in the separation agreement are tied to the language in the police contract, according to Michelle Robbins, the village’s director of human resources.
Leh, 54, was a union member for most of his career in Brookfield. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2005 and named deputy chief in 2008.
Non-union employees in Brookfield are able to bank 720 hours of sick time and can be reimbursed for it at 60 percent, Robbins said. The police contract allows for up to 840 hours to be paid at 100 percent. In addition, the police contract allows for accumulation of personal days, something which non-union employees don’t enjoy.
Leh’s final pay rate is also based on the police contract, which allows veteran officers a longevity stipend prior to retirement. Leh’s new pay grade will kick in on June 1, Robbins said.
The separation agreement does not include any other severance benefits.
-Bob Uphues
