Lead By Example - Cut Costs

With the decrease in revenue for all levels of Government in Illinois, the County Board will need to cut costs in the future. There is no way around this unless borrowing enters the equation. Borrowing does have its place in public finance for large PUBLIC projects such as infrastructure or facilities. People are earning less and subsequently spending less. Government needs to reflect this reality.

In addition to reducing the number of Board Members, I advocate reducing the current $36,000 compensation (approx. $18,000 in salary and $18,000 in benefits) to a total of $25,000. That $25,000 could be split between salary and benefits as the Board Member sees fit. There would be no special expense reimbursement above that unless the Board votes on the issue. All this and any other financial information should be easily accessed on the County website. Very few employees in the private sector receive expense money for mileage or meals or anything else - that's what their salary is for.