Adams County Board votes for raises for themselves, office holders; sheriff salary jumps by $65,000

General Assembly voted to give county sheriffs raises, state will reimburse county for most of the salary

QUINCY — The Adams County Board went into executive session Tuesday night to discuss the salary increases they were about to vote themselves.

After they came out of the closed portion of the meeting, Board members voted 16-1 to give themselves 9.6 percent raises and committee chairs and the County Board Chairman 22 percent raises before adjourning.

Ryan Hinkamper (R-District 2) was the lone no vote. Board members Dave Bellis (R-District 3), Les Post (R-District 6) Taylor Rakers (R-District 4) and John Brady (R-District 6) were absent.

Board members salaries will increase by $404 annually to $4,200. The salaries of the four committee chairmen will increase $1,104 to $4,900 and the County Board Chairman’s salary will increase $1,650 to $7,500 annually.

County Board members have not had raises since 2006.

The salaries will go into effect with the next fiscal year, which begins December 1 and is after the November 8 general election. All 21 seats are up for election this year, as they are every 10 years.

The County Board also voted to give raises some of the countywide elected officials, but the salaries of the State’s Attorney, Chief Public Defender and Sheriff are determined by the state.

A new state law passed this session says the salary for the sheriff of a non-home rule county shall not be less than 80% of the salary set for the state’s attorney. In doing so, the state will furnish about 66% of the total salary to be paid to a sheriff.

So while the salary of the next sheriff will increase from $81,693 to $146,747, Adams County will actually pay fewer dollars toward the salary, $48,426.

Republican Tony Grootens is the only announced candidate for sheriff as Rich Wagner announced in March he would not run for election to the post he was appointed to in September 2020 following the retirement of Brian Vonderhaar.

All of the salary increases are listed in the clickable link below.

In other action, Board members to spend American Rescue Plan Act dollars on the following items:

• $20,000 for filing cabinets and a filing system for the Sheriff’s Office.
• $88,000 for ballistic vests for the Sheriff’s Office.
• $110,000 for overtime for employees in the Sheriff’s Office.
• $55,000 for case management software for the Public Defender’s Office.