Joliet Park District pays Carstens $82,000 in buyout

The Joliet Park District board on Monday approved a separation agreement for Executive Director Tom Carstens that pays him $82,137 to retire early.

The agreement effective immediately means Carstens leaves the park district nine months ahead of his planned February retirement.

The payout to Carstens includes:

• $37,595.65 for three months salary;

• $27,768.12 for 48 unused vacation days;

• $16,773.60 for 29 earned but unused sick days.

Board President Sue Gulas said Carstens contacted park officials while on vacation this month and asked to work out a separation agreement for early retirement.

Gulas said Carstens "just decided he didn't want to go to the end."

He did not return from vacation and was not at the Monday board meeting.

The separation agreement saves the park district $87,000 in what would have been paid to Carstens in salary, vacation and sick time through the end of his contract, Gulas said.

"It's still a benefit to us that he's leaving his contract early," she said.

Carstens was making about $165,000 a year, Gulas said.

He will be replaced on an interim basis by Deputy Director Brad Staab, who will continue to make his salary of $110,000 while filling in.

Staab is likely to fill the position permanently with a new contract being written later, Gulas said. The park district does not plan to fill the position of deputy director of Staab is promoted to executive director.

Carstens leaves at a time when he described the park district as being in a "fiscal crisis" after a referendum to increase the property tax rate by 58 percent failed on April 2.

Filling the executive director job with a staff member, whose position would not then be replaced, was among a number of measures recommended by Carstens to plug a budget gap of more than $500,000.

Carstens joined the Joliet Park District in 2016. He was working on a one-year contract that expired in February.

Carstens could not be reached for comment.