Lake County board to get 16 percent raises
Lake County Board members narrowly approved pay raises for themselves Tuesday morning, adopting a proposal that will boost their salaries by more than 16 percent over the next four years.
Despite concerns expressed by some members about the economy and the financial struggles many citizens face today, the board authorized the raises with a 13-10 vote.
Salaries will increase 4 percent in each of the next two years, and 3.75 percent in 2011 and 2012. The move will bring the typical board member's annual pay to $44,074 by 2012, up from $37,856 now.
Proponents said the percentage increase is the same as what county employees have received recently.
Board Chairwoman Suzi Schmidt, who supported the proposal, said the vote was uncomfortable.
"It's hard to say, 'Yes, I deserve a raise,'" said Schmidt, a Lake Villa Republican. "But there's a system set up for how you give raises. It was set up by the state legislature, and this is the system we have to go by."
By state law, salaries for county board members and other elected county officials are set every two years.
Under the newly approved plan, the county board chairman, whose salary is double that of any other member's, will get 4 percent raises in each of the next two years under the plan. Only those two years are included.
The chairman also will receive a new $3,000 annual stipend for work as liquor commissioner, according to the plan, and $500 a year for automobile travel, up from $400.
Those perks and the raise will bring the chairman's compensation to $84,890 by 2010, up from $75,712 today.
The board largely ignored a counterproposal by one of its members to freeze salaries after the two 4-percent increases. Democrat Bob Sabonjian of Waukegan suggested freezing pay after those two raises to create parity among all board members.
Salaries for some of the county board posts already were set to increase over the next two years, but not all of them.
Sacrifice is part of public service, Sabonjian said.
"You don't go into public service to make a lot of money," he said.
Only four of the panel's 23 members backed Sabonjian's plan, however.
In a separate move, the board also approved raises for three countywide officials. The circuit court clerk, coroner and recorder of deeds also will receive 4-percent raises in each of the next two years and 3.75 percent raises in the two following years.
Only Sabonjian and Buffalo Grove Republican David Stolman opposed the proposal.
Sabonjian was particularly concerned about the raises in light of the nation's economic woes.
"You don't have people getting raises (today)," he said. "You have people losing their jobs."
All of the raises will be effective in December, regardless of the outcomes of November's elections.
"It may not even be our raises," Schmidt said. "We don't know who's going to be in those positions."
How they voted
The Lake County Board voted 13-10 on Tuesday to give themselves raises over the next four years. Here's how the vote broke down:
YES: Steve Carlson, Gurnee; Bonnie Thomson Carter, Ingleside; Mary Ross Cunningham, Waukegan; Susan Loving Gravenhorst, Lake Bluff; Angelo Kyle; Waukegan; Larry Leafblad; Grayslake; Judy Martini, Antioch; Pam Newton, Long Grove; Audrey Nixon, North Chicago; Diana O'Kelly, Mundelein; Suzi Schmidt, Lake Villa; Carol Spielman, Highland Park; Michael Talbett, Lake Zurich
NO: Anne Flanigan Bassi, Highland Park; Carol Calabresa, Libertyville; Terese Douglass, Grayslake; Ann Maine, Lincolnshire; Stevenson Mountsier, Lake Barrington; Brent Paxton, Zion; Robert Powers, Round Lake Beach; Bob Sabonjian, Waukegan; David Stolman, Buffalo Grove; Randy Whitmore, Wadsworth