DuPage County board freezes salaries

DuPage County Board members froze their pay for the next four years and cut stipends for leading board committees.

They will also no longer be reimbursed for mileage.

"While we are fortunate to have secured a new revenue source, we must first address the critical needs facing our county," said Chairman Robert Schillerstrom. "That is why I put forth this no-raise pay schedule."

Twelve of the 18 board members will be paid the current salary of $50,079 through 2012. Those twelve board seats are up for election in November.

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The other six seats aren't up for election until 2010, and the pay schedule for those seats were set two years ago. Those board members will actually see raises of 3 percent starting in December and 4 percent the following year. The raises average out to roughly $1,600 a year. The salaries for the six will then drop to $50,079 in December 2010, county officials said.

"I don't think it's going to be a problem for us that some are making more," said District 4 board member J.R. McBride. "The whole system of how we do this is out of whack and I would have liked to decrease the salaries, but this was the compromise."

The board voted 16-1 to freeze the salaries at Tuesday's meeting. District 3 board member Kyle Gilgis was the lone dissenting vote. The board also cut the $3,000 and $1,000 stipends for chairmen and vice chairmen posts, respectively. Some board members were already refusing those stipends.

Gilgis also led a failed charge to keep the mileage reimbursement package for board members.

"To diminish what we do by eliminating mileage is a shame, we deserve it," she said. "For those of us who are out here all the time, it has a great deal of meaning."

The board voted 12-5 to disallow mileage reimbursement for board members. The board then voted to increase the mileage reimbursement rate 2 cents, to 50.5 cents per mile, for county employees.

Democrats vying for county board seats in November said the all-Republican board didn't go far enough.

"They could have reduced the salaries if they wanted to do it and now was the time to do it," said District 6 candidate Dirk Enger. "If elected, I plan on taking about $32,000, because that's the average of the three collar counties, and donating the remainder to a (charity)."

The board also voted to increase the salaries for circuit court clerk, auditor and recorder 3 percent each of the next four years. Because the coroner has not had a raise in years, board members voted to approve a 10 percent pay hike for the upcoming fiscal year and three percent for each of the next three years.

That will put the coroner on par with auditor and recorder. Those positions will pay $127,969 beginning in December. The circuit court clerk's post will pay $142,724.