Salary for clerk, treasurer would also increase
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
Get our newsletter
ROCKFORD — The salary to serve as sheriff, clerk or treasurer in Winnebago County could increase for the first time in four years.
A proposal approved by the Winnebago County Board’s Finance Committee on Thursday would give the sheriff a one-year pay hike of 9% in 2023, followed by annual cost-of-living increases based on the rate of inflation for the remaining three years of the four-year term. The treasurer would get a one-year 7% pay hike and the clerk would get a nearly 11% pay increase, with both offices then getting the yearly cost-of-living adjustment.
The proposed salaries were meant to reconcile the four-year pay freeze put in place before the last election and to make pay for those offices comparable to other counties in northern Illinois.
By law, the County Board is required to set the salaries for elected officials at least 180 days before the start of the term. The next term for the three offices begins on Dec. 1 this year.
Related: Winnebago County panel moves River Bluff tax increase question forward
The board’s Finance Committee voted unanimously to approve the salaries on Thursday with committee Vice Chairman Steve Schultz abstaining from the vote and the discussion because he is running for county treasurer. The full County Board will consider the measure next week.
“We have to provide a competitive wage,” said County Board member Keith McDonald, a member of the Finance Committee. “We have to at least offer a competitive wage to interest the right people to run for those offices.”
The sheriff’s salary was frozen at $114,394 from 2010-2014 before annual cost-of-living increases were given from 2014-2018. Then, in the latest four-year term from 2018-2022, the salary was frozen at $119,039. The new salary would be $130,000 starting Dec. 1 this year.
Related: Tax increase? Lease? Sale? County Board weighs future of River Bluff in Rockford
Likewise, the salary for treasurer and clerk was frozen at $81,868 from 2010-2014 and then frozen again at $85,873 for the latest four-year term. The treasurer’s salary would increase to $92,000 and the clerk to $95,000, with the clerk receiving a higher raise because the office inherited the responsibilities of the recorder. Voters approved that merger of the two offices in 2018.
Before deciding on the new salaries, county staff drew comparisons to Kane, Boone, Ogle, Peoria and DeKalb counties, most of which offered higher pay.
“That makes up for years of not adjusting the salary,” Chief Financial Officer David Rickert said during Thursday’s committee meeting. “So we tried to get them with some parity to comparable counties. Once we’ve done that, going forward we would do a cost-of-living adjustment only.”
Proposed salaries
Office | Current salary | Proposed salary
Sheriff | $119,039 | $130,000
Treasurer | $85,873 | $92,000
Clerk | $85,873 | $95,000
* Each office would receive an annual cost-of-living raise based on the consumer price index as of Nov. 1 each year.
Salary comparison
County | Treasurer salary | Clerk salary | sheriff salary | Population
Kane | $100,000 | $100,000 | $124,750 | 532,403
Winnebago | $85,873 | $85,873 | $119,039 | 282,572
Peoria | $108,722 | $108,722 | $137,058 | 179,179
DeKalb | $92,144 | $92,144 | $131,539 | 104,897
Boone | $83,388 | $90,708 | $123,717 | 53,544
Ogle | $84,080 | $82,080 | $92,788 | 50,634
Source: Winnebago County staff submitted this comparison chart to the Finance Committee before Thursday’s vote.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.