Question of the day
Thursday, Oct 1, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Daily Herald…
Elk Grove Village’s mayor and trustees are in line for raises — some, more than others — following local elections next year. […]
The current pay schedule has gone unchanged since 2008, when village board members agreed to replace a blanket annual salary for the mayor with a sliding scale based on longevity. […]
Annual escalators of 3% are built in, so a newly elected trustee would make $8,000 and top out at $25,000 after 40 years. […]
Johnson defended the pay raises amid increasing inflation and expenses, noting that Elk Grove Village officials don’t get car allowances, mileage reimbursements, or extra per-meeting pay, as some other municipal leaders do. […]
As to the longevity scale, Johnson contends, “Experience matters.”
* The Question: Should Illinois tie legislators’ base pay to their years in office, as Elk Grove Village is doing? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
- Levois - Thursday, Oct 1, 26 @ 11:12 am:
Base pay should not be tied to years in office. Public service should reward effectiveness not exactly years in office.
- NIU Grad - Thursday, Oct 1, 26 @ 11:16 am:
No, this is ridiculous. The role is the role and the salary should be tied to it, not on who has been around the longest. Longevity might matter, but it does not influence the actual workload of the elected official. Also, it creates an unnecessary incentive for elected officials to continue to seek reelection because it’s tied to a salary increase.
- Excitable Boy - Thursday, Oct 1, 26 @ 11:29 am:
No, because Madigan.