DuPage County finance committee approves pay increases for county officials; chair's salary amended to $185,000

The DuPage County Finance Committee voted April 28 to adopt a revised compensation schedule for countywide elected officials and county board members, approving an amendment that raises the county board chair's 2027 salary to $185,000.

The committee debated a consolidated package (FIO 0001-26) that included increases intended to standardize pay across countywide offices and to bring board stipends into parity. Member Tornatore introduced the resolution. After an extended discussion in which members weighed arguments about parity, public-service expectations and comparisons with other counties, the committee approved an amendment to set the county chair's 2027 salary at $185,000 (with 3% in 2028 and 2% in 2029 and 2030). The amendment passed on roll call, 9 yes, 7 no, 2 absent. The amended resolution then passed on final roll call, 12 yes, 4 no, 2 absent.

Supporters argued the increases align pay with the responsibilities of the positions. Member Tornatore said the chair's duties are effectively full-time and argued for higher compensation, saying, "I think the current chair ought to be making 200,000 dollars a year given the responsibilities that he or she may have." Member Zay, who helped lead the discussion in favor of the package, said the changes set pay for the position rather than for current officeholders and that the increases were modest relative to county responsibilities.

Opponents raised concerns about optics and self-voting. Vice Chair Cayales said she would vote no on the resolution because she did not want to vote on increases that affected her own salary and called the county board role a public service for which she was reluctant to accept an increase. Member Martinez said she viewed the board role as part-time public service and was not in favor of raising county board salaries.

Members also discussed statutory constraints on some offices: several speakers noted that pay for positions such as sheriff and state's attorney is set by statute and therefore not subject to the committee's discretion. Members requested and received clarification from staff on how the total compensation packages are structured, including a state-provided stipend of $6,500 that applies to some offices and a separate vehicle allowance.

The committee did not bifurcate the vote into separate votes for countywide officials and county board members; an attempted bifurcation failed on roll call (11 no, 5 yes, 2 absent). The final amended resolution (FIO 0001-26 as amended) was adopted by the committee and will proceed under the county's next steps for implementation.

The committee record shows the amendment passed 9-7-2 and the final resolution passed 12-4-2. The committee asked staff to circulate a single-sheet summary of total compensation (salary, state stipend, and vehicle allowance) to members ahead of the county board meeting for additional review.