Peoria County operations committee approves $48,420 workers' comp settlement and sets clerk/treasurer salaries

Chairperson Ricker presided over the Peoria County Operations Committee on April 28, 2026, which unanimously approved a $48,420 workers' compensation settlement and adopted a multi-year salary schedule for the county clerk/recorder and county treasurer.

The actions were taken after county staff presented a revised workers' compensation and liability report covering the quarter ending March 31, 2026. Ms. Loftus, a county staff member, said the report had been corrected for earlier reporting discrepancies with the third-party administrator and that previously open liability claims from 2019–2021 had been removed because they are now closed. "This is actually through 03/31/2026," Ms. Loftus said when presenting the revised Q1 report. She also said one remaining 2018 liability claim is settled but is awaiting final paperwork and payment, and that the reported costs include three work-comp settlements approved at the end of last year.

The committee then moved into consideration of two formal resolutions. The first approved a workers' compensation settlement in case 010015-006597-WCD-O1 for $48,420; the chair called for a vote and declared the motion passed unanimously. The second resolution addressed the county's statutory obligation to set salaries for certain elected officials. Chairperson Ricker explained that a 2022 public act removed the county sheriff from this committee's salary-setting process and that the sheriff's pay is tied to the state's attorney salary under state statute; the salary-setting before the committee therefore covered the county clerk/recorder and the county treasurer.

The salary package in the committee packet rolled a prior $1,500 annual service payment into base salary, preserved the state stipend of $6,500 unless changed by Illinois, and scheduled percentage adjustments that begin Dec. 2026: a 4.15% adjustment at the start date in December 2026, then 2% the following year, and 3% in each of the next two years to bring parity among the four elected offices the county sets. Member Phelan, who supported the resolution, urged the committee to consider whether salaries should be set differently in future because the offices have different daily responsibilities, saying they are "very different roles." Chairperson Ricker asked for and recorded a unanimous vote to approve the salary-setting resolution.

There were no members of the public who spoke during the public comment period. With no miscellaneous items, Chairperson Ricker adjourned the committee meeting.

What happens next: the resolutions passed by the operations committee will proceed according to county procedures for implementation; the settlement payment is expected once final paperwork is complete and the salary schedule will take effect as described in the committee packet.