Farmers Weekly Review

By Nick Reiher

Recent attempts to consider raising salaries for countywide elected officials and County Board members have fizzled or devolved into partisan battles.

That included last June, when board members held a special meeting the day before the deadline to consider raising salaries in anticipation of the November 5 election. Any changes affect only newly elected board members and countywide officials; not the current group.

The issue became so heated that Republicans, led by then-Board Chair Judy Ogalla, walked out of the meeting in frustration. That meant salaries for county offices up for election the following November remained as they had since 2008.

County Board Speaker (formerly called Chairman) Joe Van Duyne does not want that to happen again. That said, he and other officials know a salary increase is long overdue.

“I’m trying to get bipartisan support,” said Van Duyne, D-Wilmington. “And I think we’ll get there.”

At the board’s April 1, Finance Committee meeting, Van Duyne presented a proposal for salary increases for countywide elected officials and County Board members that would begin following various elections.

The measure passed 3-2 on a partisan vote, with Democrat members supporting it. But Board Member Julie Berkowicz, R-Naperville, voted against only because she wanted more information before sending it to the board’s Executive Committee on April 10.

Otherwise, Berkowicz, who last year was opposed to the salary increases, said, she now favored a raise from the current base of $23,000 a year.

“I think the salaries for County Board members are too low,” she said at the April 1 meeting. “Our jobs don’t end at the committees. We are part of the communities … No one can tell me this is a part-time job.”

Board Member Denise Winfrey, D-Joliet, agreed, saying she spends a lot of time in the community.

Van Duyne said all of the jobs of the elected officials, countywide and County Board, are full-time. That cut short discussions of the size of the countywide officials’ departments, the amount of duties and how much time they spent in the office.

Berkowicz said there should be job descriptions so that incoming board members know what to expect.

“I don’t ever remember seeing a job description, but I knew what to expect,” Van Duyne said. “And countywide officials have their own job descriptions.”

Ogalla, who had been opposed to raises in the past, seemed more open, saying she was on call 24 hours a day as board chairman.

But she also wanted to know how the figures provided would be affected by retirement account payments. Van Duyne said after the meeting that they would look into that.

Another table provided by County Board staff showed how health insurance premiums have increased for county officials during the time there have been no raises.

Will County Treasurer Tim Brophy appeared at the meeting with the numbers for the proposed raises. He said they were based on averages taken from other counties.

As he did last year, Brophy said setting reasonable salaries is one way to attract good candidates for the elected positions, even if there is as aspect of public service to them.

Ogalla said other counties don’t have the County Executive system, meaning County Board members there have more duties, such as overseeing certain departments. But she was willing to discuss the numbers further.

“This is just a starting point.”

Board Members also serve as Will County Forest Preserve District commissioners. All commissioners are paid once per month, only for the meetings they attend at $36 each per day. Two or more meetings on one day would be $36 total.

Officers of the district board are paid monthly, regardless of attending any meetings: Board President, $208.33; Vice-President, $125; Board Secretary, $125; and Treasurer, $125.

Nick Reiher is editor of Farmers Weekly Review.