Lake County Board poised to give themselves pay raise

Despite regular news reports of local corporate layoffs, bankruptcies and other economic woes, Lake County Board members are poised to give themselves and other elected officials pay raises.

The board's finance and administrative committee on Wednesday recommended a proposal that would give nearly all of the panel's members 4 percent raises in each of the next two years and 3.75 percent raises in the next two years.

If approved at the board's regular meeting May 13, the move would bring the typical board member's salary to $44,074 by 2012, up from $37,856 now.

The board chairman, whose salary is double that of any other member's, would get 4 percent raises in each of the next two years under the plan. Only those two years are included, however.

Although he brought the plan to the committee, finance leader Brent Paxton opposed the proposed raises Wednesday.

"I think we get paid well for what we do," said Paxton, a Zion Republican who's voted against raises before. "I'm fine if we don't get an increase."

Paxton said he brought the proposal to the committee to prevent members from adopting even larger raises.

Paxton was joined in opposition by board member Bob Sabonjian, who doesn't sit on the finance committee and spoke from the audience.

"Nobody should be asking for a pay raise -- or willing to accept one -- in the current state we're in," said Sabonjian, a Waukegan Democrat. "We should be joining in the misery."

Three of the elected officials who serve the entire county stand to get raises under a separate proposal, too.

As with the majority of the county board, the salaries for the circuit court clerk, coroner and recorder of deeds would receive 4 percent raises in the 2009 and 2010 fiscal years and 3.75 percent raises in the following two years.

That would bring their salaries to $125,924 by 2012, up from $108,160 today.

The salaries for those three countywide officials are under review now because they're up for election in November. The salaries for the county clerk, regional schools superintendent and treasurer were adjusted two years ago.

All of the countywide officials except the sheriff are paid the same wage. The sheriff receives a larger salary.

The committee also recommended increasing the board chairman's automobile allowance to $500 annually, up from $400, and awarding the post a $3,000 annual stipend for service as the county's liquor commissioner.

That would bring the chairman's compensation to $84,890 by 2010, up from $75,712 today.

The increases would be in line with pay raises county employees are set to receive, County Administrator Barry Burton said.

All of the raises would be effective in December. They would be enacted regardless of the outcomes of November's elections.

The 23 board members also comprise the county's forest preserve district board and are paid separately for that work.

Sabonjian predicted residents would come at officials "with pitchforks" if they approve the increases.

"You guys are stepping in a hornet's nest," he said.

Of the five committee members at Wednesday's meeting, only two -- Republican Stevenson Mountsier of Lake Barrington and Democrat Angelo Kyle of Waukegan -- vocally supported the plans.

Republicans Diana O'Kelly of Mundelein and Carol Calabresa of Libertyville remained silent when the votes were called.

Although he pledged to oppose raises for the board members, Paxton didn't object to boosting the countywide officials' salaries.

The salary proposals will next come up for public discussion at a committee-of-the-whole meeting on May 9.