County staff preview hazard-pay letter after repeated jail sewage incidents

LaSalle County staff informed the Salary and Labor Committee on Dec. 25 that they will return at the next meeting with a proposed letter of agreement to provide hazard pay for maintenance staff who respond to sewage incidents at the county jail.

Committee members and maintenance staff described repeated episodes in which inmates flush inappropriate items (a bed sheet was cited as a recent example) and maintenance crews must "triage the issue" until an outside vendor can make repairs. A staff speaker said that maintenance employees are repeatedly placed into "a pretty nasty situation," and that management will negotiate details with the union and bring a formal letter to the committee at the next meeting.

No formal action or vote on hazard pay was taken at this meeting; staff indicated they expect to present a draft agreement next month.