Ersel Schuster

McHenry County Board member Ersel Schuster has proposed an alternative compensation plan to the one recommended by the Committee Chairman’s Meeting for County Board members. She calls it a “minority resolution.”

Her suggestions?

• Chairman of the Board: $79,063 FY 2013-2016, instead of the Chairman’s Committee Meeting recommendation of $82,200, plus increases in the Consumer Price Index starting in FY15.
• Vice-Chairman of the Board: $5,000 per year more than board members with no CPI hike starting in FY15.
• Members of the Board: Members of the Board per diem compensation at a rate of $225 per meeting for each such meeting attended in full, for FY2013 – 2016. The Committee Chairman’s Meeting plan has them earning $21,500, plus CPI increases starting in FY15. (Note that members have to stay for the full meeting under Schuster’s plan, not just duck in and leave.)
• Fringe Benefits: The Chairman and Members of the Board may choose to participate, paying the full cost of such participation, in any or all of the benefit programs made available, now or in the future, to all County employees including, but not limited to health, dental and vision plans subject to the same rates, benefit levels, rules and regulations established for all County employees.  (The difference is that the above fringe benefits are basically free under the Finance Committee plan.)

As in the majority plan, mileage would not be paid.

Definitions provided by Schuster follow:

• Per diem is based on an average of 8 meetings per month for each member (2 County Board meetings; 3 standing committee meetings X’s 2 per month) rounding out to approximately $21,600 annually;
• Assigned/special meetings, where members were are in attendance, qualify for per diem;
• Meetings missed or cancelled could average the annual amount out to the approximate average of $21,600 x’s 24 or… $518,000 as an amount budgeted for this purpose.
• Members choosing to participate in the county paid “benefits” programs – pay the full cost of that benefit.  The IMRF & Insurance alone amounts to over a quarter of a million in costs to the taxpayers for what is “less than a part-time” – “public-service” position.

Those Board members elected last year are being paid about $20,200, plus fringe benefits; those elected in 2008 get about $19,800.