Trustees may give Island Lake mayor a raise
Island Lake trustees want to give Mayor Charles Amrich and his eventual successors a pay raise, saying the mayor's salary doesn't match the amount of work done on behalf of the village.
By statute, Island Lake's mayor is paid $8,800 annually plus $100 per board meeting. If multiple meetings are held on the same day, the mayor still only receives $100.
The mayor receives an additional $1,200 annually to serve as liquor commissioner.
In all, that amounts to about $12,000 annually. In exchange, he has to perform mayoral duties at least 20 hours a week, according to the statute.
The statute hasn't changed since 1988, Amrich said.
The compensation isn't enough for the time Amrich spends on the job at village hall and out in the community, Trustee Deb Jenkins said during Thursday's village board meeting.
"I think we really need to look at what he's making," Jenkins said.
The other trustees acknowledged Amrich's pay could use a boost.
Being mayor is "a serious financial and time sacrifice," Trustee Mark Beeson said.
Trustee Keith Johns supported the idea of a mayoral pay raise, too. But he drew the line at raises for trustees, saying recent union contracts with the village's public works employees froze their pay.
Trustees don't receive annual salaries. They are paid $100 per board meeting.
Although the trustees favored giving the mayor a raise, no one proposed a new salary amount during Thursday's meeting.
Any changes would be effective after the next mayoral election, which is next spring.
Trustees didn't make any decisions Thursday. They'll discuss the issue again at a future meeting.