What's Happening in McHenry, IL…

McHenry County has announced that it will be increasing the pay for a large portion of its employees who are not part of a union.

The increase in pay was approved during a county board meeting last month, despite attempts to have the vote suspended. Those who wished to suspend the vote felt that there would be discrepancies in how the pay for lower-level employees was changing in comparison to their higher-level colleagues. Concerns were also raised over the fact that the pay increase would add $2m to the county’s yearly budget.

The changes were recommended by a consulting firm based in South Carolina. One of the board members, Jeff Thorsen, pointed out that those who were already earning more would receive a bigger pay boost than the lower earners. Thorsen feels that the situation should be the other way round when considering how difficult it has been for the county to fill those lower-earning positions. Printing services could be used to share information about job vacancies.

Observing that the disparity could have a negative effect on the county’s morale, board member Jeffrey Schwartz said:

“Just because we have a study doesn’t mean we have to follow the thing as delivered.”

The changes will see non-union employees offered an adjusted pay scale, and almost half of the positions for the county’s 90 employees are set to be reclassified.