SPRING VALLEY VILLAGE – The police chief in Spring Valley Village is facing scrutiny related to overtime pay.
City attorney Loren Smith said Police Chief Loyd Evans is the exempt employee referenced in a city statement who received $189,038 in overtime in 2020 and $96,040 in overtime in 2021.
“It is only in the rarest of occasions and under specific conditions that city policy permits OT for exempt employees,” the statement said.
Smith said the chief, whose base salary was $151,000 in 2020, approved his own overtime.
The numbers came to light following a meeting about salaries for city employees and the information was not well received by city representatives, according to the statement.
“The lack of openness, transparency, or even awareness by the individual responsible for the distribution of these OT funds (who was also the recipient of these funds) has left your city representatives questioning the judgment and their trust in this individual to continue their role with the city,” the city’s statement read.
Then there was a meeting to talk with the chief about a possible retirement or separation agreement that “did not go well,” the city’s statement also mentioned. The chief was placed on administrative leave not long after.
The chief’s attorney Amanda Bolin responded with the following statement:
“Chief Evans denies any wrongdoing. He is hopeful for an amicable separation from the city.”
Bolin told KPRC 2 over the phone that the chief worked every one of those hours and was covering for short-staffing because of COVID.
The city’s statement does not provide the details of the overtime policy.
The chief’s attorney said the two sides are negotiating a separation agreement.
A city council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 12 as part of that process.