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Will County Sheriff's Office, Illinois, 2008-2011
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The Will County Sheriff's Office employs 606 people.[1]
Salaries
Sunshine Review filed a public records request for salary information from the Will County Sheriff's Office for the years 2008 to 2011. Sunshine Review was seeking information on the salaries earned by the highest ranking officers and the elected Sheriff, Paul Kaupas.
According to the budget from the sheriff's office, salaries totaled $21,407,255.[2] Salaries for the command staff remained the same during the years 2009 to 2011.
| Name | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheriff | $121,923 | $121,923 | $121,923 | $121,923 |
| Undersheriff | $121,575 | $125,222 | $125,222 | $125,222 |
| Chief Deputy | $111,823 | $115,177 | $115,177 | $115,177 |
| Deputy Chief | $108,526 | $111,781 | $111,781 | $111,781 |
| Commander | $107,149 | $111,200 | $111,200 | Vacant |
Benefits
According to the budget from the sheriff's office, fringe benefits totaled $11,049,648.[3] Sunshine Review filed a public records request for benefit information from the Will County Sheriff's Office for the years 2008 to 2011. The Sheriff's Office did not provide information on the types of benefits extended to employees. Dollar amounts for benefits for the highest ranking members of the Sheriff's Office are below:
| Name | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheriff | $84,138 | $84,138 | $84,138 | $84,138 |
| Undersheriff | $84,154 | $86,672 | $86,672 | $86,672 |
| Chief Deputy | $77,403 | $77,375 | $77,375 | $77,375 |
| Deputy Chief | $75,120 | $77,375 | $77,375 | $77,375 |
| Commander | $74,168 | $76,972 | $76,972 | Vacant |
Phone use
Sunshine Review filed a public records request request for information from the Will County Sheriff's Office on cellular devices issued for the years 2008 to 2011. The Will County Sheriff's Office issued 203 cellular telephones between January 1, 2008 and January 1, 2011. No information was provided as to the types of plans used by the sheriff's office and the cost of those mobile phones and plans.
Car Use
Sunshine Review filed a public records request for information from the Will County Sheriff's Office on vehicles issued to employees for the years 2008 to 2011. The sheriff's office issued eight vehicles to non-sworn personnel between January 1, 2008 and January 1, 2011. No information was provided on the type of vehicles or the amount budgeted to maintain them.
Salary records project
In 2011, Sunshine Review chose 152 local governments as the focus of research on public employee salaries. The editors of Sunshine Review selected eight states with relevant political contexts (listed alphabetically):
1. California
2. Florida
3. Illinois
4. Michigan
5. New Jersey
6. Pennsylvania
7. Texas
8. Wisconsin
Within these states, the editors of Sunshine Review focused on the most populous cities, counties and school districts, as well as the emergency services entities within these governments. The purpose of this selection method was to develop articles on governments affecting the most citizens.
The salary information garnered from these states were a combination of existing online resources and state Freedom of Information Act requests sent out to the governments.
A study published by the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia said the city of Philadelphia faced challenges owing to the cost of public employee pensions.[4] The report claimed the amount that Philadelphia paid to pension recipients limited the city’s ability to use its budget effectively.
The report said there were more individuals receiving pension benefits—33,907 claimants in 2006—than workers in the city—28,701.[4] The authors recommended three steps towards addressing the problem of high costs in pensions: improved data collection, expanded transparency initiatives, and reductions to the city's overall budget.[4]
Salary schedules can be published as ranges, not as specific compensation figures, and may leave out compensation received through health and retirement benefits, as well as benefits such as commuter allowances and cell phone reimbursements. This project aimed to close the gap and provide a more accurate picture of public employee salaries for the sake of public education and transparency.
See also
External links
Footnotes
