McHenry County Board delays vote on elected official salaries as members worry about cost to taxpayers

The McHenry County Board could raise the salaries of elected officials – including its own members – in the coming months.

The potential raises come after McHenry County Clerk Joe Tirio made a case last month for increasing the clerk’s office pay.

Tirio said at a county committee meeting this week that the proposed salary increase for his office wouldn’t be a merit raise as much it would make him whole. He said previously that his peers’ salaries have gone up about 26% since 2018, while his has increased about 8.1%.

The goal with the salary adjustment is to align the pay of all of the countywide elected offices except the sheriff, Deputy County Administrator Scott Hartman said Wednesday.

The sheriff’s salary is required to be 80% of the state’s attorney’s pay, while the regional superintendent of schools’ salary is set by the state.

Officials said the state’s attorney’s pay is around $219,000, while the sheriff’s pay is around $175,000.

But officials are considering paying the sheriff the same salary as the state’s attorney. The sheriff also gets some stipends; one is a $6,500 state stipend and another stipend is $4,000 from the county, Hartman said.

Sandra Salgado, the sheriff’s office’s business manager, said some municipal police chiefs in the county earn more than the sheriff, which could limit the pool of potential future candidates for sheriff.

The parity with the state’s attorney “makes sense in our eyes” when one considers the scope of leadership and responsibilities of the sheriff, Salgado said.

Currently, the county clerk, treasurer, coroner, auditor and circuit court clerk have a base salary of $114,000.

If the proposal gets passed, the sheriff would be at parity with the state’s attorney starting in fiscal 2027. The clerk’s and treasurer’s salaries would be set at $154,000 and each year after would get a 3% raise or the rate of the Consumer Price Index, whichever is less, according to documents.

The auditor, coroner and circuit clerk would make the same as the treasurer and clerk starting in fiscal 2029. After that, they also would get the lesser of 3% or the CPI, a measure of inflation.

Tirio said Wednesday: “What I’m asking for is to be caught up.” He added that the last review of salaries was in 2021 in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tirio said he’s saved the county $10 million, taken on the duties of recorder as well and shrunk the head count, as well as added services and reduced fees. The bulk of those cost savings came from the recorder’s office, Tirio later said.

Tirio said he thought the county had been served well and he wanted to keep doing it “if I can continue to afford to live in the county at a pay that’s ... commensurate with what we were doing in 2021.”

Kurtz called the proposed pay changes “a catch-up provision” and said the adjustment addresses the impacts of inflation.

“We see our peers, our professional peers, in the county making a significant amount of money more than our roles, which are in the same capacity as a professional. And so this catch-up provision would address that disparity, and in my mind it makes sense,” Kurtz said.

Kurtz later added you don’t get the results she and Tirio have achieved without the experience they bring.

“We want the best quality people leading these efforts,” Kurtz said, adding that those efforts are not accidental. She said bringing up the disparity takes courage, and it shouldn’t be ignored.

Kurtz later said some of her achievements in office included increasing passport revenue by 20-30%, which offsets two salaries and doubling the amount of money earned through the county’s investments.

County Board member Matt Kunkle, R-Algonquin, said elected officials knew what the job entailed and what the salaries were, and still chose to run.

“So we have no one to blame but ourselves if we’re not happy with that number,” Kunkle said. He added there needs to be more growth and industry and more money in the county’s coffers before elected officials’ salaries can go up.

Kunkle said the county’s next tax levy needs to stay flat and that the county should do more with the resources it has or let things go if they’re not a good value.

He later said the raises are worth the money to him, but he has to vote with the people who “tell me what to do in here.”

Kurtz pushed back on some of Kunkle’s comments and said one of the most important things was to educate the public and get voters to see the county’s mission and direction.

Kunkle responded that such a message rings hollow for people who don’t get raises at work but still see their taxes go up.

Another idea Kunkle floated was cutting the County Board down to nine members from its current 18, but quickly revised it to 12 when he was told that was the minimum required. He said he preferred to cut board size rather than cut benefits, saying the benefits make it easier for the common person to run for office.

County Board members requested more information, including where the money for the raises would come from and more details about achievements and operational efficiencies.

The committee ended up voting 3-3 Wednesday on the pay proposal, advancing it to the County Board. Board members Joe Gottemoller, Pam Althoff and Paul Thomas voted yes, while board members Terri Greeno, Kunkle and John Collins voted no. Kunkle said as he voted he was a no as the resolution was currently written, and Greeno said she wanted to see “documented numbers.”

Greeno also said that the tax burden for county residents is too high and that the County Board must reduce its property tax levy.

“Where is the money [for the raises] coming from? Because our levy needs to drop,” she asked.

Althoff floated the idea of having the board consider some of the ask, but not all of it.

But the County Board will not be taking an immediate vote on the proposal to raise the salaries. A separate committee Thursday voted to table the salary discussion to next month.

The salary adjustments would not take effect next year, but the asks are coming at a time in which county officials have said that next year, expenses are expected to outpace revenues.

Separately, a proposal to raise county board member salaries has been tabled. County documents don’t currently outline a specific proposal for the board members’ pay.

Currently, McHenry County Board members have a base salary of $21,000, but are also eligible for health insurance and other county benefits. Most of the board members take benefits. County Board Chair Mike Buehler has a base pay of $86,300, according to county records. Buehler does not take any benefits. A proposal would raise the county board chair salary to $104,300 starting in fiscal 2029.

Raises go into effect after the next election, but McHenry County often approves raises before the primary election, officials previously said. Candidates have been able to circulate petitions since Tuesday for the 2026 primary election, and petitions are due to be filed Oct. 27 to Nov. 3. The primary is scheduled for March 17.