In 2022, the Knox County clerk, circuit clerk, and treasurer each made just under $85,000 a year.
Beginning Dec. 1, the salaries for the elected officials in those positions will jump to over $153,500 a year — an increase of 81% since 2022 and a nearly $20,000 increase from what those officials are currently paid.
In Illinois, county boards currently have the authority to set compensation for the next election cycle, and base salaries are paid from county tax funds.
But the most recent jump in Knox County was an attempt to prepare for legislation that would mandate salaries for the elected clerk, circuit clerk, treasurer, assessor, and coroner in all Illinois counties be set at 80% of the respective state’s attorney’s salary, which is set by the state based on county population.
This year, the board set the salaries for clerk, circuit clerk, and treasurer at 70% of the state’s attorney’s salary.
“There is legislation out there that might make this mandatory and may not,” Vice Chair Brian Friedrich, R-District 5, told the Knox County board on May 27. “It’s been out there before. It’s never passed, so maybe this year is the year for it, but this will get us close.”
House Bill 5584, which would mandate the salary changes, did not advance out of the rules committee in the spring legislative session but could be considered in the veto session this fall, and go into effect Dec. 1.
It grew out of a state compensation task force, which recommended extending the salary structure that sets the pay for state’s attorneys, chief public defenders, and sheriffs to other elected county officials— instead of letting county boards determine what they should be paid.
Under state statute, the chief public defender’s salary is set at 90% of the state’s attorney’s salary and the sheriff’s salary is set at 80% of it.
House Bill 5584 would mandate other elected county-wide officials make the same amount as the sheriff.
It also would mandate the state pay two-thirds of those salaries, as it currently does for the state’s attorney, chief public defender, and sheriff — but some county government officials have concerns about where the state money will come from.
Opposition to the bill
The Illinois Association of County Board Members opposes House Bill 5584, and so does Knox County Board Chair Jared Hawkinson, R-District 4, as the bill is written.
Hawkinson was also the only board member in attendance at the May 27 Knox County board meeting to vote against the compensation increases for the clerk, circuit clerk, and treasurer. He told TSPR his vote was not a statement against any individual officeholder or the value of those offices.
“These are important elected positions that serve the residents of Knox County every day,” Hawkinson said. “However, I believe salary decisions should be based on the specific responsibilities, workload, and statutory obligations of each office — not a blanket, one-size-fits-all approach.”
Hawkinson said county boards still have the authority to set the salaries, and the county has a responsibility to ensure elected official compensation is fair, transparent, and justifiable to taxpayers.
“I would have preferred to see a more thorough review that considers each office independently and ensures the salary structure reflects the actual duties and responsibilities,” Hawkinson said.
No details about the most recent Knox County salary increases were included in the agenda or packet posted on the county’s website for the May 27 meeting.
TSPR submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for a copy of the ordinance authorizing the compensation increases, but Knox County Clerk and Recorder Scott Erickson declined to release it prior to the meeting, citing the exemption for preliminary information.
Impacts on counties
Hawkinson said a statewide structure for certain county-wide elected positions may not be unreasonable if it was based on actual responsibilities, statutory duties, and workload.
But that only makes sense, he said, if the state has a clear, sustainable funding plan for paying for two-thirds of the salaries that doesn’t reduce other funding sources for county governments.
“It has to come from somewhere, and there is a valid concern that counties could see reductions in other state-shared revenues or that additional fees may be increased and passed on to the public,” Hawkinson said.
If enacted as written, the legislation would increase the salaries in Knox County to $175,000 a year, which Hawkinson noted would amount to $50,000 increase in all for the clerk, circuit clerk, and treasurer. That’s a nearly 41% pay increase in one year.
“For some of the other positions included in the bill, the percentage increase could be even higher, potentially exceeding 100% salary increase, depending on their current salary,” he said.
Hawkinson said even if the state pays the two-thirds, the county is still responsible for the remaining third — along with additional pension-related liability and other associated costs.
In addition to wanting salaries tied to position responsibilities, Hawkinson believes they should also be set based on a county’s ability to fund those costs without creating additional burdens on taxpayers.
“My guess is this is why it lost traction in the General Assembly and was not able to make it out of committee during this last legislative session,” Hawkinson said.
What other counties are doing
Not all counties are approving large compensation increases this year as the legislation looms.
If House Bill 5584 is approved as written in the fall veto session, the clerk and treasurer in McDonough County would be making over $135,000 beginning Dec. 1, based on the current salary for the McDonough County State’s Attorney.
It would also be a more than 80% salary increase over what the McDonough County board approved under its authority to set the salaries at its May 20 meeting.
McDonough County Clerk Jeremy Benson told TSPR the board set the salaries for clerk and treasurer at $73,479. That is a 2.7% increase over the current salary.
The compensation is required to be set 180 days before a general election for all positions except the circuit clerk, which can be adjusted each year.
Benson said annual increases for the clerk and treasurer positions were also approved and will be based on the Consumer Price Index.
Other counties are trying to get ahead of the legislation, like Knox County is.
At its May 12 meeting, the Adams County board approved significant increases for the clerk and treasurer. The clerk’s compensation is increasing 52%, from $72,000 to nearly $110,000, while the treasurer’s is going up around 20%, from $68,000 to $82,000.
If the legislation is approved as written and the state properly funds two-thirds of the salaries, counties will be paying less for these salaries than they are now.
If the legislation does not move forward, the salaries for the clerk and treasurer in Knox County will be set at $153,500, plus annual cost of living increases, until the next general election and will be paid entirely by the county.
The circuit clerk salary can be adjusted on a yearly basis, Hawkinson said.
In addition to the compensation set by county boards, elected officials also receive stipends from the state for duties mandated by law.
For example, in McDonough County, the clerk will receive $5,000 a year as the HIPAA compliance officer and $6,500 from the State Board of Elections. The treasurer will receive $6,500 a year for administering property tax collection and other duties required by law.
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