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Public commenters accuse DuPage County of insufficient notice for last-minute chair salary increase
Summary
Public commenters told the DuPage County Board that the county failed to give the six days' advance notice required by the Illinois Open Meetings Act before an amendment to raise the chair's proposed FY27 salary was introduced on the floor; speakers asked for better transparency and adherence to statute.
Public commenters at the DuPage County Board meeting on June 23 urged the board to improve transparency after alleging that the public did not receive required notice about changes to elected-official salaries.
Jean Casmar, a former county board member and current township supervisor, said she raised similar concerns in 2014 when she questioned whether a proposed resolution to set pay for county elected officials had violated the Open Meetings Act. Casmar told the board that townships are often early contact points for residents seeking services and asked the board to keep township officials better informed about county programs, funding and notices.
Another commenter, Adam Johnson, told the board he reviewed the published agenda and that the chair’s salary for fiscal year 2027 had been listed at $154,390 but that an on-the-floor amendment to increase that amount to $185,000 was proposed and voted on, ‘‘with no chance for the public to have any input on the actual salary figure being approved.’’ Johnson said approving large compensation packages without prior public notice is exactly the type of action the Open Meetings Act is intended to prevent.
Why it matters: Illinois law—cited by commenters—requires certain public notices for employer actions tied to the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund and disclosure of compensation in advance of votes in some circumstances. Commenters urged the board to provide adequate advance posting of compensation items and to avoid making substantive changes on the floor without public opportunity to comment.
Board response: no formal remedial action occurred during the public comment period. The chair acknowledged the comments and the agenda process but did not take immediate corrective measures at the meeting. Board members later continued regular agenda business including votes on schedule and budget items.
Ending: Commenters asked the board to adopt clearer notice practices; the public record for the meeting will include electronically submitted comments provided through the board portal as required by board policy.
