From the May minutes of the Administrative Services Committee:
Mr. Tirio stated that he wanted to informally raise the issue of the County Clerk’s salary.
He noted that economic changes over the past several years had been significant.
Using data from the Social Security Administration, he explained that between 2018 and 2025, average wage growth had been approximately 37%, while the dollar’s purchasing power had decreased by about 26%.
He stated that his peer group—once defined—had experienced salary growth of about 26.24% during that period.
He elaborated that defining his peer group was not straightforward.
While one might assume his peers were other county clerks, responsibilities vary significantly across counties.
Some clerks are also recorders; others have no or limited involvement with elections.
Therefore, Mr. Tirio explained, he viewed his true peer group as other department heads within McHenry County, whose compensation had grown by a similar percentage.
Mr. Tirio also reminded the group that in 2018, he had taken on responsibility for an additional office.
He noted that no salary adjustment had been made at that time to reflect this added responsibility, and he continued to receive only the base clerk salary.
He emphasized that this was not intended as a formal request but stated that it made sense to begin the conversation sooner rather than later, especially as he and others were considering whether to run for office.
He stressed the importance of clarity around compensation as those decisions were being made.
Chair Gottemoller confirmed that Mr. Tirio had called him about the matter, coincidentally just one hour after he had finalized the agenda for the current meeting.
As a result, it was too late to include it formally.
However, he agreed that it was a valid future topic and noted that there were still several months before the statutory deadline for salary adjustments.
He reminded the group of past discussions regarding potential changes to county board member compensation and benefits, such as health insurance versus salary.
He asked the members if they would like to pursue this discussion in upcoming meetings.
He stated that if there was interest, the item would be added to a future agenda; if not, current salaries would remain unchanged.
Members asked whether Mr. Tirio would be providing comparables, supporting data, and a recommendation.
Mr. Tirio confirmed that he would.
Members suggested that, in fairness and transparency, other elected offices should also be notified that the process had started so they would have the opportunity to participate if desired.
Chair Gottemoller agreed and stated that salary adjustments must be completed at least six months prior to the March primary.
He emphasized the importance of notifying all affected offices early to avoid last-minute requests
or confusion.
He also stated that the Board should understand the number of officials requesting changes and the resulting budgetary impact in order to act responsibly.
