Will County committee begins discussion on pay raises for countywide elected officials and county board members; no decision reached

The Will County Finance Committee opened a lengthy discussion about pay for countywide elected officials and county board members but did not take a vote. Joe Van Dine (speaker/committee member) presented comparative data compiled by Treasurer Tim Brophy and proposed raising starting countywide salaries toward an average of about $116,000, with a longer-range target of roughly $125,000 for certain offices.

Van Dine said it had been nearly two decades since raises were considered for countywide officials and described a staged approach: an initial increase to roughly $116,000 for countywide offices in 2026 and smaller annual percentage increases thereafter as an exercise in catch-up. "If we stick on the subject of countywide elected officials, 20 26 in 2 years, the starting salary would be a hundred and 16,000 and then increase 2.59%, which is basically a $3,000 raise," Van Dine said.

Members raised multiple concerns and questions. Julie requested formal job descriptions and asked whether these are full-time positions, noting that apples-to-apples comparisons require consistent duty definitions. "You have to compare apples to apples. So I don't see that here. And I'm still asking for that," Julie said. Jackie noted the difference between elected officials and employees, and multiple members pointed out that countywide officials receive IMRF pension contributions and a stipend (currently $6,500), while county-board members do not. Dan said large percentage jumps (he cited 22% or 24%) would be a non-starter for him. "At a 24% increase... I'm not going to agree to any of that," Dan said.

Committee members asked staff for additional data and analysis. Chuck was asked to research historical health-insurance costs for countywide officials (from 2006 to 2025) and the chief of staff was asked to collect job descriptions, the number of officials affected and cost estimates for proposed scenarios. Members also discussed statutory limits: Van Dine cautioned that it is unlawful for officials to appropriate their own raises immediately and that any pay change would apply to future election cycles. Staff confirmed certain salaries (for sheriff and state's attorney) are tied to state statute and outside the county's sole discretion.

Why it matters: pay levels affect recruitment and retention for county offices, the county's payroll budget and pension contributions; they also raise questions about fairness between part-time county board roles and full-time countywide positions.

Ending: Committee members asked that the item remain on the agenda for the next meeting and requested staff follow-up with the job descriptions, cost estimates, and insurance-IMRF historic data prior to that meeting.