Highly Paid McHenry County Conservation District Employees

The McHenry County Conservation Distrrict’s Lost Valley before an August storm.

A law recently went into effect which requires all governments belonging to the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, the only big public pension fund not in trouble, to list highly paid employees.

I asked for the list from the McHenry County Conservation District and, although that list is not available because a new budget has not been passed since the law took effect on the first of this year, the MCCD provided the information which conforms to the request, that is, the total compensation package for every IMRF covered employee earning a total compensation package in excess of $75,000.

  • Last Name First Name
  • Job Position
  • Annual Compensation
  • Health Ins
  • Sick Time
  • Vacation Time
  • Vehicle Allowance
  • Clothing Allowance
  • Total Compensation

Since there is no vehicle allowance or clothing allowance, I have left out the zeros reported.

  • Collins, Edward R, Natural Resource Manager, $82,243.20, $1,200, 96 hrs, 20 days, $83,443.20
  • Diedrick, Jeffrey S, Police Chief, $81,577.60, $0.00, 96 hrs, 20 days, $81,577.60
  • Dylak, Andrew A, Director of Finance, $90,916.80, $750, 96 hrs, 15 days, $91,666.80
  • Kessler, Elizabeth S, Executive Director, $147,450.68, $1,500, 96 hrs, 20 days, $148,950.68
  • Kremer, John, Director of Operations, $113,963.20, $1,200, 96 hrs, 20 days, $115,163.20
  • McCarthy, Thomas, L&F Manager, $92,705.60, $0.00, 96 hrs, 20 days, $92,705.60
  • Peters, Amy E, Planning/Development Manager, $79,060.80, $0.00, 96 hrs, 20 days, $79,060.80
  • Siler, Valdon K, Land Preservation Manager, $78,395.20, $0.00, 96 hrs, 10 days, $78,395.20

Comments

Highly Paid McHenry County Conservation District Employees — 4 Comments

  1. Not only are these salaries shocking, the public should know that some of these employees like Val S, and others unnamed are very discourteous when they believe the District has the upper hand.

    This is not how the MCCD started out in this county.

    Is it true that when the District has purchased farmland, the District has removed field tiles which has had a negative effect on neighboring farmers?

    seems the District has become a bureaucratic monster and not a good neighbor.

    I’d be interested in an answer about the field tiles.

  2. Look at the site map. McHenry County CD purchased land in LAKE County years ago.

    Lyons Prairie the property east of Hickory Nut Grove Rd and was purchased using McHenry CO tax money but nobody called them on it.

    They said it was important to own land contiguous to the existing park and assure nobody built on it.

    It is swampland and totally unbuildable.

    Why buy it?

    Lake County Forest Preserve District owns everything on the other side of the river.

    Don’t believe the signs that say ILLINOIS State Nature Recreation Area, it was done on McHenry County’s dime and with McHenry Co CD personnel.

    http://www.mccdistrict.org/web/assets/maps/5.pdf

    MCCD should have been a Forest Preserve District like most other counties. ELECTED BOARD and more use of the land. McHenry County has land that is closed to the public.

  3. The signs do not say “Illinois State Nature Recreation Area,” they say “Illinois State Nature Preserve” if you go to the IDNR website and do some research you will find many qualified reasons why MCCD purchased and protected this land.

    Field tiles can only be removed with approval from the County and A.C.O.E., neither would allow the conservation district to negatively impact neighboring property owners by removing tiles or adversely affecting the flow of water.

    I would agree that some of these salaries are pretty far fetched but also know that several have been at the district for well over 20 years. I think the C.D. has done a great job protecting land in a county that was being urbanized and paved over in the past 20 years.

  4. Why didn’t LAKE county purchase it since it is in LAKE county?

    Why doesn’t LAKE county maintain it?

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