Godfrey Village Board Approves Future Pay Raises

Village of Godfrey Board of Trustees: Public Safety, Finance, Board Meetings

GODFREY - The Godfrey Village Board of Trustees voted on Tuesday to approve pay raises for the Mayor, Village Board, and Village Clerk. These salary increases will not take effect until after the April 1, 2025 municipal election, but they spurred some discussion at this week’s meeting.

A newly approved ordinance lays out the updated salaries for each position. The “Village President,” another term for “Mayor” according to the Illinois Municipal Code, will be paid $70,000 annually from 2025 to 2026. They will also receive yearly raises of $5,000, ending with an $85,000 salary from 2028 to 2029.

Mayor Mike McCormick spoke against the proposed raises for the mayor’s position, stating he had a “problem” with them being so much higher than the raises for other village staff.

“A $15,000 raise for a share results in an almost 30% increase - we don't give our employees anywhere close to that,” McCormick said. “Originally [when] it was talked about, we’d give our employees 4-5% continually. For you to give the mayor’s position a 30% raise in one year, I have a problem with that.”

McCormick also cautioned against using these raises to draw candidates into the mayoral race, stating he believes the next mayor should do the job out of their passion for the village, not “for the money.”

Trustee Craig Lombardi questioned why the mayor’s position was changed from a part-time job to a full-time job in 2011, suggesting $25,000 for a part-time mayor’s salary to save taxpayers even more money. McCormick replied that other communities with part-time mayors also have city managers who earn six-figure salaries, which Godfrey does not.

Trustee Rick Lauschke said those passionate about the village still have to earn a living, adding that a “full-time job should get a full-time salary.” Trustee Jeff Weber said the general consensus among the board was that the mayor’s salary has been too low for years.

Aside from the mayor’s salary, village trustees will make $6,300 annually after the election, with no further pay raises through 2029 under the ordinance. A separate ordinance outlines the future salaries for the Village Clerk, starting with $73,944 in 2025 with consistent annual raises culminating in an $81,585 salary through 2029.

Weber cast the only vote against the ordinance to raise salaries for the mayor and trustees. The ordinance setting the Village Clerk’s salary passed unanimously and without discussion.

A full recording of the Oct. 1, 2024 Godfrey Village Board meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.

More like this: