Grayslake Police Pension Board Wants Supreme Court to Hear Gutraj Case

A pension loophole could prove costly to Grayslake taxpayers if a ruling that entitles former Sgt. Conrad Gutraj to collect a controversial pension increase stands.

The Grayslake Police Pension Board plans to appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court to rule on whether former Sgt. Conrad Gutraj is entitled to a pension increase that could cost taxpayers $500,000 over the next 20 years, reported the Daily Herald.

Last September, a Lake County judge ruled Gutraj was entitled to two annual cost-of-living increases — a 3 percent increase for a disability (suffering a heart attack in April 2000 while at work) and another 3 percent for turning age 60 in 2011. That ruling was upheld by an appellate court panel last month, reported the Daily Herald.

Gutraj, who sits on the pension board, abstained from voting on taking the legal battle to the higher court, according to the story.

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