Sentinel The Shorewood
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Enterprise Publications • www.shorewoodsentinel.com
A QUESTION OF SALARY TROY DISCUSSES SALARIES OF ELECTED OFFICIALS
By Sherri Dauskurdas Staff Reporter
Just a week after the Shorewood Village Council discussed raising the salary for the mayor’s job, Troy Township officials sat down to discuss possible pay raises for their own elected staff. The Troy Township Salary Committee held its first meeting July 24 to discuss the salaries of the new board, which will be elected in April 2013 for the 201317 terms. The meeting was a requirement, by Illinois elections law, for every township in the state, and must be conducted within 180 days of the election. Joseph Baltz, supervisor of Troy Township, offered recommendations to the committee in terms of the future salaries of elected officials: • Freeze the salaries and benefits of all elected officials; • Freeze the salaries and benefits for all elected officials except for the Highway Commissioner and Assessor (the two full-time elected positions). Those positions would receive a salary freeze for year one of their terms, followed by a $4,000 increase for each in years two, three and four; and • Freeze the salaries and benefits for all elected officials except for the Highway Commissioner and Assessor. Those positions would receive a salary freeze for year one of their terms, followed by an increase of the lesser of 5 percent,
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or the CPI Urban Index, for years two, three and four of their terms. “This is a very difficult and challenging process to go through,” Baltz said. “You are establishing the salary and benefit structure which will be in place for a four year period…and you don’t know what the future economy holds. You are trying to balance that with the needs of the Troy Township residents and a budget; all while trying to have a salary and benefit package that will attract and retain the type of individuals needed to serve.” That struggle was evident during the discussions, and while the three proposals were discussed at length, the committee did not come to an agreement at the initial meeting. Further meetings will be held to discuss the topic before the board receives a recommendation from the committee for their consideration, Baltz said. All meetings are open public meetings and notices will be posted at www.troytownship. com. “I myself and all of the officials of Troy Township are very aware and cognizant of the current economic climate and the challenges that not only the residents of Troy Township face but also the residents of Will County, the state of Illinois and the entire United States,” Baltz said.“These thoughts are in the forefront of our minds and our discussions as we work towards a recommendation to be presented to the full board.”