The McHenry County Board is taking up whether to increase the salaries of most of the countywide elected officials as it weighs the impact on taxpayers.

Salary proposals have been coming up at county meetings the past several months. While raises could not take effect until late 2026 at the earliest, county officials are anticipating next year’s budget will have expenses outpacing revenues, and some county officials said the raises should be considered in the new budget the board will need to approve before Dec. 1.

The county board is slated to take a vote on the increases at its meeting that begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16.

County Clerk Joe Tirio has made a case for increasing the pay for his job. Among the reasons Tirio cited were his salary not keeping up with inflation and safety concerns election officials have faced in recent years.

The county’s finance committee voted 5-0 Sept. 4 to advance the proposed raises to the full board. That followed a discussion that went just over an hour, during which County Board Chair Mike Buehler – whose role is among those up for a potential increase – said he would put the topic on the Board agenda regardless of whether it passed at committee.

Most of the countywide elected officials were on hand at the finance meeting and made a case for their raises, for which they would first have to win reelection.

Among the proposed raises:

• The sheriff would receive the same salary as the State’s Attorney starting in fiscal year 2027. The sheriff currently is required by state law to receive 80% of the state’s attorney’s pay. The sheriff also gets two stipends – $6,500 from the state and $4,000 from the county, officials said. The state’s attorney’s pay is around $219,000, while the sheriff’s pay is around $175,000.
• The pay for the treasurer and the clerk, who also serves as the county recorder, would increase to $154,000 beginning in late 2026, when the new terms for those offices start. The officeholders’ pay is proposed to continue to go up annually by the lesser of 3% or CPI, a measure of inflation. The officeholders also receive a $6,500 state stipend.
• The coroner, auditor and circuit court clerk would have the same salary as the clerk and treasurer starting in fiscal year 2029, and also would receive the annual raises capped at 3% and the state stipend.
• The county board chair would make $104,300 starting in fiscal year 2029, and would get the annual raises capped at 3%. Buehler makes a base salary of $86,300 but does not take benefits.

Currently, the coroner, auditor, circuit court clerk, treasurer and clerk all make $114,000 this year. All countywide offices are currently held by Republicans.

County Board member Brian Sager said he appreciated the county officials coming in and asking for raises, but “there’s certain realities that we have to acknowledge.”

Still, Sager said there’s a “sweet spot” of both protecting both taxpayers and setting reasonable pay and that he had no issues with the request. He said the county is in a great position because of officials’ professionalism.

Sandra Salgado, the office business manager is the sheriff’s office, said putting the sheriff’s pay in line with the state’s attorney made sense and was an “important move” for the future of the office.

Treasurer Donna Kurtz also underscored the professional services that countywide offices provide.

“It’s a zero sum game not to address the professionalism and the value that all of these countywide positions provide,” Kurtz said.

Auditor Shannon Teresi noted that chief deputies in that office are beginning to get close to the elected officials’ salaries, and if that’s the case, it might not make sense for someone to run for the office.

“We are literally just catching up,” Teresi said, adding the raise is a correction that should have been made years ago. She said she wanted her staff to consider running for her job in the future.

Circuit Court Clerk Kathy Keefe said her pay had been frozen since 2008.

Kurtz said she was on the County Board during Keefe’s salary freeze and was “embarrassed” that Keefe’s pay was frozen for that long.

Board member Michael Skala, who chairs the finance committee, said the raises would total about $250,000, but mentioned the projected budget gap for next year. He said he appreciated the work the elected officials did but wanted to have the salary discussion after the budget goes through and officials have a better idea of where the board is headed financially.

Tirio said the cost of the raises works out to be about $1 per taxpayer and that he thinks taxpayers would support that.

Tirio said the raises were more about catching up, that “we don’t know that the next four years won’t have more inflation,” and that if inflation was like it was the previous four years, “we’ll be working for half of what we were paid” in 2018.

A separate proposal on whether to raise County Board member salaries could still come up in the next few months, but a separate committee tabled that Wednesday until after the budget goes through. County board members currently make a base salary of $21,000 per year and most members take county benefits.

Buehler said while raises wouldn’t take effect right away, the county needs to think about them with the coming budget. He said the elected officials are doing a good job, but the increases were more about keeping the officials on parity with inflation.

Board member John Collins said he felt the salaries should be reduced by the amount of the state stipends but that the board should look at it after the budget.

“We’re spending money we don’t have,” Collins said.

Board member Eric Hendricks said he didn’t want the CPI increase to be included and said he wanted to have the pay conversation every four years or so.

“I think a fixed salary makes sense,” Hendricks said. He said he didn’t have an issue with the raises.

Hendricks agreed the raises should be looked at with the coming budget because it could affect other budget items.

Buehler said that adding the CPI-tied pay increases in 2021 was meant to protect against inflation, but noted the 3% cap. Hendricks said officials are still trying to keep up with inflation.

The county board briefly discussed the proposal Thursday, with finance chair Michael Skala encouraging board members to watch the finance discussion and board member Matt Kunkle saying the board should table the vote until December, after the budget passes.

Salary increases must be approved 180 days before the election, officials said previously, though the increases have historically been approved before the primary election. Candidates are currently circulating nominating petitions for the 2026 primary election. The filing period for the petitions is Oct. 27 to Nov. 3 and the primary is March 17.