McHenry City Council looks at possible pay increases for alderpersons, clerk

McHenry Mayor Wayne Jett said Monday night that he felt sorry for Crystal Lake Mayor Haig Haleblian.

According to research by city staff, Haleblian earns $4,800 a year for his work as mayor, compared with the $15,000 earned by Jett.

“No wonder I pay for lunches every time,” Jett joked.

The McHenry City Council on Monday night started taking a look at possible raises for alderpersons and the city clerk. The two numbers brought up as potential new pay for the council increases were $4,800 and $5,400.

Currently, members of McHenry’s City Council make $4,200 a year, or $350 a month. City Clerk Trisha Ramel, who is elected to the clerk’s role, makes $400 a month plus $75 per meeting, for a possible total of $6,600 each year.

Alderwoman Sue Miller, 7th Ward, said when she first ran for the seat, she did not know council members were paid. She did ask what budget line a pay increase would come from.

“It concerns me when we are looking at increases,” Miller said. “The burden is on the residential homeowners.”

If the council choses to raise the salaries, it should not be before May 1, 2027, “so we can adjust the budget,” Miller said.

City attorney David McArdle said that any compensation changes must be made 180 days prior to a new term. The next terms are set to begin May 1 following the April 1 local elections. The council could either approve new pay changes beginning May 1 for the mayor, city clerk and the three aldermanic seats up next year, or wait for them to begin May 1, 2027, so all of the seats would get the increase at once.

If the council does not vote for an increase before Nov. 4, the next time pay could be increased is 2027, McArdle said. The current council and clerk schedule began May 1 of 2015, and the mayor pay has not increased since 2005.

Jett said he did not want to see any increase for the mayor’s role.

“How do I decrease it? I do this because I want to do this. There are people here that put more into events and planning, more than I do at the city. I do not want an increase on the mayor’s end,” Jett said.

The council also asked McArdle to look at both the clerk’s pay structure and the potential of making that an appointed, rather than an elected position. McHenry had a referendum on that question on the November 2020 ballot where it failed, 33% yes to 64% no.

From mid-2017 to June 2019, the seat was vacant after City Clerk Lynzi Nevitt resigned shortly after her spring 2017 election. Ramel was appointed in June 2019, and ran for and won the seat in 2021.

McArdle was directed to find out how the city of Crystal Lake changed its clerk position from elected to appointed ordinance last month. According to Crystal Lake, as a home rule community with a manager form of government, it can make that change by ordinance, without going to voters.

McHenry also has home rule and a city manager.

McArdle said he would come back to the council with options for pay increases at the next board meeting.