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Boone County board approves 10% pay increase for highway engineer to meet IDOT recommendation
Summary
The Committee approved a pay increase to $138,400 for the county highway engineer to align with an Illinois Department of Transportation recommendation and preserve federal funding flexibility.
The Boone County Committee of the Whole voted on June 12 to increase the county highway engineer's salary to $138,400, a roughly 10% raise, to meet an Illinois Department of Transportation recommendation that affects federal funding eligibility.
The increase matters because the position's salary is split roughly 50/50 between motor fuel tax (MFT) funds and federal funds; county officials said staying within 95% of IDOT's recommended salary level preserves the intended federal share and keeps local MFT funds available for projects.
Commissioner Brian Curry moved the salary resolution; Brian Schneider seconded. During discussion, staff explained the pay is currently about $126,000 and the proposed figure would bring the county within the IDOT threshold. County staff and board members praised the highway engineer's grant work and local engineering management, saying the engineer had secured substantial grant money for bridge and road projects. The committee approved the increase by voice vote.
The board and staff clarified that federal dollars would not disappear if the county fell below the threshold, but that the funding arrangement's flexibility and ease of spending local MFT funds on projects would be constrained if the county lost the IDOT-recommended alignment. No additional conditions or ordinance changes were required; the motion carried.
