Joe Savitch
The LaSalle County Board Chairman, Circuit Clerk, Auditor, Coroner and Recorder of Deeds may not get salary increases when the new terms start in December. The County Board Thursday voted to freeze pay for those five offices. LaSalle Democrat Joe Savitch says with the county facing a terrible money crunch and so many regular folks out of work, he can’t raise county officials’ pay.
Elected officials’ salaries must be set by the County Board at least six months before the new terms for those officials begin. That would set a June 1, 2020 deadline for terms that start December 1, 2020. If there isn’t another board vote on it before the deadline this year, the salaries will be set through November 2024.
Thursday’s vote leaves pay for each office at just under $68,000 per year. The original resolution would have raised the amounts to $69,015 for fiscal year 2021, $70,050 for 2022, $71,451 for 2023, and $72,880 for 2024. Board members were unanimous among all 26 members present.
Jerry Myers
County Board members also aren’t getting raises in per diem, the money they’re allowed to get just for being at meetings. It’s been set at $60 per day since 1996. Streator Republican Jerry Myers argued for upping the amount. He says, adjusting for inflation and considering there are fewer committee meetings to attend these days, board members today are getting less money than members 24 years ago.
You would need $100 today to have the buying power of $60 in 1996. The resolution was to raise the per diem to $70 in 2021 and $80 in 2022.
How they voted on the per diem:
No: Jerry Hicks, Jerry Myers
Not present: Kindra Pottinger, Charles Borchsenius, Gary Small, Robert Lee, Timothy Geary
All other members voted yes.