Linda Liddell was absent from the June 27, 2013, Board meeting. She will have the deciding vote on administrative salaries in July.

The McHenry County College Board deadlocked on a motion to increase the salaries of administrators by 2.82% Thursday night.

Previously, administrators were shopping around a 3.7% increase.

That would have been the 1.7% increase in the Consumer Price Index, upon which the Property Tax Cap is based, plus 1% as a raise, plus another 1% to hold those employees harmless from the expected increase increase in payments for pensions.

There were six elected members present at the meeting, plus the advisory student Board member.

Missing was Linda Liddell, who was reported to be out of the country.

Members told what they thought the raise should be.

Mary Miller wanted 3%, as did Cynthia Kisser and Student Trustee Michele Lambert, who has an advisory vote.

Molly Walsh suggested 2.75%.

On the low end, Tom Wilbeck was for a 2% raise, Board President Ron Parrish offered 2.1% and Chris Jenner suggested 2.2%.

The calculations Trustee Mary Miller made before moving that administrators’ salaries be increase by 2.82%.

Parrish solicited a motion at the level of 2.5%, but got not takers.

After seeing the lay of the land, Miller averaged the differences in salary increases for faculty with those of administrators for the most recent seven years and came up with 2.82%.

The motion received a 3-3 vote among the elected Trustees.

Since tied votes fail, the motion failed.

Parrish then tried to elicit another motion at lower levels, going down one-tenth of a percentage point until he reached 2.4%.

No one made a motion.

In July, all the members might be present and another motion will be made.  It will, as Miller pointed out, be retroactive to the first of the month.