Will County Board OKs pay raises for countywide elected officials, board members

Chicago Tribune

17-04-2025

Will County Board members and countywide elected officials will see pay hikes after the 2026 and 2028 elections, after nearly two decades without a salary increase.
The board voted 13-9 to approve salary increases for countywide elected positions, with two Republicans joining Democrats in support of the raises.
'I'm trying to right the ship,' Speaker Joe VanDuyne, a Wilmington Democrat, said.
Will County has 10 countywide elected officials, but the County Board does not set the salary for the regional superintendent of schools, state's attorney or sheriff.
Countywide elected officials make $93,116, which has been stagnant since 2007. The measure will increase it to $116,000 after the next election.
'These are full-time positions,' VanDuyne said. 'In this day in age to make $93,000 a year to lead a countywide department is way underpaid. It's a full-time job and they need to be paid accordingly.'
Will County Treasurer Tim Brophy did a comparison of countywide elected officials' pay in the Chicago collar counties and some of the most populous counties statewide, based on the 2020 census. He said he excluded Cook County because it is an anomaly.
Countywide officials in DuPage County, with nearly 933,000 residents, make just over $151,000 a year and have an auto allowance. Lake County officials make just over $134,000 a year for their population of about 714,000 residents.
With just over 696,000 residents, Will County ranks third in population among the Illinois counties, excluding Cook, but elected officials' salaries rank 11th, according to the data.
The average salary of some of Illinois' most populous counties is $116,516, Brophy said.
Will County at 865 square miles is also the largest of the collar counties in size and is about 2 1/2 times the geographic size of DuPage County, Brophy said.
Brophy said the higher compensation for countywide elected officials will put Will County about average among its peer counties.
He said the elected officials have professional skill sets and would make more money in the private sector, but choose to give back to their communities. Unlike the private sector, the officials have to run for reelection every four years to retain their jobs, he said.
A higher salary is a better incentive for qualified individuals to run for public office, Brophy said.
The countywide elected officials salary will increase to $116,000 after the 2026 election, then increase $3,000 a year for the following three years.
The county executive's salary will increase to $125,000 a year after the 2028 election and increase to $128,750 for fiscal year 2029-30.
Officials whose term expires in 2028 will see their salaries increase to $122,000 after the 2028 election and then raise by $3,000 the next year.
'The law says you cannot give yourself a raise,' VanDuyne said. 'We are paying the position, not the individual.'
Before the vote, some board members asked to send the plan back to committee for more discussion or reduce the size of the raises, both of which failed.
Board member David Oxley, a Lockport Republican who voted in favor of the raises, said he felt it was a double-edged sword. The population of the county continues to increase, resulting in a higher workload for the officials. Private sector employees would not expect to work in the same job for so long without a raise, he said.
Frankie Pretzel, a New Lenox Republican, said he supported the raises because of the commitment from Democrats to work with the Republicans to find cost-saving measures in the budget.
Jackie Traynere, a Bolingbrook Democrat, said the board would not have been in the predicament had it not 'kicked the can down the road' for so long.
Still many Republicans were not convinced.
Mark Revis, a Republican from Plainfield, said many of his constituents have told him taxes are too high and residents are on a fixed income.
'I think everybody is deserving of a raise. I know they work hard; I know they put in the hours,' Revis said. 'But when I speak with residents and the constituents I represent, they are more deserving of a break on their property taxes than you guys are deserving of said raises.'
Board member Judy Ogalla, a Monee Republican, said when the board approved the $93,116 salary, it was above the median salary at the time.
Raquell Mitchell, a Republican from Bolingbrook, noted the government is funded through property taxes.
'The question is always where is the money coming from,' she said. 'We know exactly where the money is coming from. It's coming from the taxpayers' pockets.'
The County Board also approved a pay raise for its own members, effective after the 2026 and 2028 elections. The 12-10 vote was mostly along party lines with 10 Republicans voting against the plan.
The last time the board approved a salary increase was Nov. 17, 2005, when it approved gradually raising salaries by $500 a year starting after the November 2006 election.
The rate for board members increased to $21,500 a year Dec. 1, 2006 and then increased an additional $500 per year until Dec. 1, 2009, when it reached its current level of $23,000.
VanDuyne said the raises could allow for more participation in county government. He said while it is easier for individuals who are retired to give back, he also wants to encourage a diverse demographic to seek office. He cited mothers who may need the extra compensation to pay for child care, or workers who are paid hourly, as examples.
Destinee Ortiz, a Romeoville Democrat, agreed, saying increasing salaries for the board allows more people the opportunity to participate in elected office, not just those who are retired or independently wealthy.
'It ensures that public service is accessible to people of all economic backgrounds, not just the wealthy,' Ortiz said. 'Fair compensation recognizes the time, the responsibility, the personal sacrifice the job requires and helps attract qualified, diverse candidates who otherwise might be excluded, which ultimately leads to more representation and effective government.'
Sherry Newquist, a Democrat from Steger, said while she has voted against pay raises for board members before, she said the time demanded of the board has increased.
The salary for County Board members will increase to $28,000 after the 2026 election and then by $2,500 for each of the next three years. The six members whose terms will be voted on in 2028 will receive the same pay as the board members in fiscal year 2028-29.
The County Board speaker, the leader of the board and selected by its 22 members, will earn an additional $10,000 per year.
The County Board tried to vote on pay raises last June, but Republicans walked out of the meeting after members believed the Democrats were trying to change the terms of the deal. Because members walked out of the room, the votes on pay raises could not take place due to a lack of quorum.
VanDuyne said wanted to bring this forward now because it is not an election year. Last year, the board attempted to raise salaries for the countywide elected officials and the County Board members just months before the November election.
Sherry Williams, the Democratic Leader from Crest Hill, said she believes people should be fairly compensated for their work. She said she knows some board members will be adamantly against raises, but not increasing compensation for nearly two decades was wrong.
'Are we saying people will never get an increase, because that's not realistic,' Williams said. 'This is a good time. If not now, when?'
After the November 2026 election, the raises for the treasurer and county clerk and 16 of the 22 County Board members whose seats are up will take effect.
In 2028, the raises for the county executive, auditor, circuit clerk of the courts, coroner, recorder of deeds and the six remaining County Board positions will take effect. The board is elected on staggered terms.