Algonquin Township officials keep their own salaries flat for next term, raise assessor's by $3,000

Most Algonquin Township officials will have the same salary for their next term, but the township assessor will make $3,000 more.

These salaries were approved by Algonquin Township Board of Trustees at its meeting Wednesday evening.

The raise for the assessor will kick in Jan. 1, 2022, bringing the salary to $90,841.16 a year. The current Algonquin Township assessor is Richard S. Alexander.

Algonquin trustees will keep their current salaries when their new terms begin May 17, 2021. Trustees currently make $2,466.10 annually.

The supervisor's salary, at $55,000 a year, also will remain the same, along with the clerk's at $18,492.88.

The Highway Commissioner remains the highest-paid township official with a salary of $93,204.08.

Township officials also will continue to receive health insurance, as well as reimbursement for travel.

During Wednesday's meeting, Trustee Dave Chapman said Algonquin Township's salary for its assessor is a little bit below what other townships in McHenry County pay their assessors for the same workload.

"Being the largest township in McHenry County, I think it's appropriate that we have a salary that is commensurate with the job flow that's done," Chapman said.

The assessor has six employees to report to him.

Algonquin Township Trustee Elaine Ramesh cautioned those who voted to increase the assessor's salary to think about the reverberations it would have.

People working underneath the assessor who don't also see a raise might ask for the same and giving the assessor a higher salary would signal to others that the township is open to, and available for, giving more money to people.

"I think we need to think really carefully about what we're doing here," Ramesh said.

Chapman said the assessor's office has been reduced through the years from an employee headcount of ten to a headcount of six, so the township has had four fewer salaries to pay over the past five years, meaning there is room for the salary increase.

If assessor's employees are doing an "exemplary job," the decision to give them a raise should be up to their own supervisor, Chapman said.

"I know they've had an introduction of a lot of new tools and some upgrades in that office," Chapman said.

Township Supervisor Charles Lutzow said the $3,000 raise for the assessor is a fair one and not a large increase compared with other townships, especially over a four-year period.

Assessors need to have qualifications and certifications to do their job, Lutzow said, compared with other positions.

Chapman along with trustees Bob Becker and Dan Shea and Supervisor Lutzow all voted in favor of the assessor's raise and keeping the salaries the same, while Ramesh was the lone vote against both measures.