Prior to the Monroe County Board setting salaries for elected officials who are on the November 2024 ballot, Monroe County Coroner Bob Hill made a plea for commissioners to reconsider the salary for his position during Monday’s meeting.

During public comment, Hill said that while the amount of service calls for his office has increased, the coroner’s salary is still well below that of neighboring counties and the national average.

In particular, Hill noted the current salary for the  Randolph County coroner – who has seven deputy coroners – is $82,000 while the Monroe County coroner – who has four deputy coroners – is currently half that amount at $40,446.

Hill noted Randolph County has a smaller population and its coroner’s office has a similar call volume as Monroe County.

Hill, who is running unopposed for coroner in the upcoming general election – would have a salary of $45,000 beginning Dec. 1. 

When he was first elected coroner in 2016, the salary was $29,875.

“I believe this increase reflects a good faith effort to bring the pay up to a reasonable level for the work required,” Hill said. “However, it has not kept pace with the workload.”

In 2016, Hill said the coroner’s office signed 149 death certificates and handled 39 field calls. Those numbers in 2023 were 260 and 76, a 75 percent and 95 percent increase, respectively, in just under eight years

Hill also said 2023 was the first year his office had gone over budget for autopsies, and it also came close to spending the annual budgeted amount for postmortem toxicology screening.

“Do not get me wrong – I am honored to serve the people of Monroe County in a position I love. I would like, however, to make sure that the pay for my time, or anyone else who steps into this position in the future, is appropriate,” Hill continued. “I am fortunate to have four deputies who help share this workload. They are highly-trained, capable, and an asset to this county. None of them, however, would be willing to step into this position at the current pay rate and have made that clear to me.”

Before Hill was finished with his statement, he was told by Monroe County Board Chairman George Green that his three minutes of speaking time allowed during public comment was up.

Hill finished by saying he believes “elected officials should be able to weigh in on their four-year terms in front of the board instead, and not just a three-minute time frame.”

Hill shared the rest of his prepared statement with the Republic-Times.

 It reads, in part, “Finally, I’m asking you to consider whether you would take a full-time job, with no guarantees of any time off for four years… I am asking if you would be willing to oversee and supervise four individuals with their own personal and professional needs. I am asking if you would be willing to do all of this for $40,000 a year or $0.69 an hour.”

Discussion of the salaries continued prior to passing an ordinance to set the salaries for Monroe County officials on the November 2024 ballot: county coroner, circuit clerk and one commissioner seat.

Hill, Monroe County Circuit Clerk Lisa Fallon and Commissioner Doug Garmer, all Republicans, are running unopposed for their respective offices.

 Monroe County Clerk Jonathan McLean explained the county board must set the salaries 180 days prior to the upcoming terms for those offices which all begin Dec. 1.

Green noted that the pay raises reflect a 5 percent increase to the base salary with inflation and the current consumer price index also taken into consideration.

Commissioner Vicki Koerber added, “While you’re talking about workload and responsibility and things like that – again, for the record – commissioners also have not received (a pay raise) other than a regular percentage increase, and that, down the road, needs to be looked at also.”

McLean noted commissioners salaries did not go up for several years by design of previous commissioners who “did not want to get compensated more.”

McLean also pointed out commissioners are currently not eligible to take part in health insurance or retirement benefits offered to county employees.

He suggested a study be conducted in two years regarding commissioner and coroner compensation. 

One office which will be getting a slight bump in the next fiscal year in addition to the standard 5 percent is the office of Monroe County circuit clerk.

The ordinance shows the circuit clerk base salary for Fiscal Year 2025 to be $88,681, compared to $82,662 for the current fiscal year.

McLean explained the there is a larger increase in the first year of the four-year term in an attempt to make the Monroe County circuit clerk salary closer to salaries in similar Illinois counties.

He added the percentages end up being around 5 percent at the end of the term, as the salary percentage increase is not as large in years two through four.

The ordinance passed with Green and Koerber voting yes. Garmer abstained.

In other action, the board  approved the county holiday schedule for 2025, with no changes from 2024.

The next meeting of the Monroe County Board is Monday, June 3, at 8:15 a.m. at the Monroe County Courthouse.