TAZEWELL COUNTY, Ill. — Members of the Tazewell County Board have questioned pay increases County Clerk John Ackerman recently gave to 14 employees in his office.
County Board Chairman Dave Zimmerman said Ackerman’s actions were deceptive and could set the county up for potential fines from the Illinois Muncipal Retirement Fund.
Ackerman told WMBD’s Greg and Dan the funds did not come from the 2020 budget and do not impact property taxes.
“The raises, the increase I figured in, came from the fee fund that I control, that is from the revenue that we generate from services we provide to the public,” Ackerman said.
“Labor had always been figured into that fee. So, I didn’t change that fees either. They’re still the way they are. It’s just we’ve been using that revenue for other purposes,” Ackerman said.
Tazewell County Board Chairman Dave Zimmerman has said the average raise given out by Ackerman was 22.5%, with some employees getting up to 63% raises.
Ackerman said 47% of his employees got a 9% raise, and less than a third of his employees got a 22% raise. Two employees got a 13% raise.
