Pay raises approved for Wauconda mayor and clerk, but not until 2021
Wauconda's mayor and clerk are set to get big pay raises - but they won't go into effect for two years.
Trustees also will receive set annual salaries instead of stipends for attending meetings, under changes approved by the village board Tuesday. The annual pay total for the six trustees will remain roughly the same, officials said.
All the changes will begin in May 2021, after the municipal election scheduled for that spring.
The mayor's pay will jump to $11,000 annually, from $8,000. That's a roughly 38-percent increase.
Both figures include a $1,000 annual stipend for the mayor's service as village liquor commissioner.
The clerk's salary will increase to $4,600 annually, from $2,800. That's a 64-percent increase.
Trustees will be paid $4,800 annually. They have been receiving $100 stipends for each board or committee meeting they attend, with a monthly cap of $400. That can be up to $4,800 annually per trustee, depending on attendance.
Trustees recently reviewed the statute regarding their pay, and it isn't clear regarding whether they should be paid for committee meetings as well as full board meetings, Trustee Tim Howe said.
The trustees voluntarily reduced their customary pay until they could consult with the village's attorney and determine how to proceed, Howe said.
The changes were delayed until 2021 to avoid the appearance officials were raising their own pay.
"The only way a current trustee or mayor or clerk benefits is if they run for and win re-election," Howe said.
The changes were approved with a 5-0 vote. Trustee Rich Morino was absent.
Salaries for Wauconda's elected officials last were adjusted in 1987.
The salaries of elected municipal officials are determined locally, rather than by state ordinance. They vary from suburb to suburb.
In neighboring Island Lake, for example, the mayor receives a $22,600 salary that includes $1,200 for service as liquor commissioner, plus $100 per board meeting he attends. All of that totals about $25,000 annually.
Island Lake's village clerk is paid $200 per month plus $75 per meeting, which amounts to about $4,200 annually. Island Lake trustees are paid $100 per meeting, which amounts to about $2,400 annually.
In nearby Mundelein, the mayor has a $23,800 annual salary this year while trustees and the village clerk each will be paid $9,528 this year.
The salaries in Mundelein are adjusted annually to reflect national wage trends.