Pecatonica Township Supervisor votes $1000 check to himself –

Pecatonica Township (ECWd) –

During the November 19, 2019, Pecatonica Township Board of Trustees meeting, the Township Supervisor, Joseph Musso, voted to pay himself a $1000.00 check for “10 years of backpay” he wrongly says he is owed.

Watch the video where this was discussed below.

Musso complains that he was never paid the minimum of $100 per year while being the Treasurer of the Road District, presumably because it was never set as a separate compensation when the board set their compensation in previous years. We believe the compensation was “included in” the compensation set for the Supervisor, which is all that the Township Code requires.

The October 18, 2016 meeting minutes indicate the Supervisor’s compensation was set at $10,000 per year. This, in our opinion, was inclusive of his compensation as Road District Treasurer as stated in Section 65-20(a) of the Township Code.

The Township Officials of Illinois TGEN Policy Memorandum 2016-1 states that the Road District Treasurer’s compensation “can” be added as additional income for the Supervisor. Notice it did not “require” it to be stated as additional income.

The Township Code and the Highway Code both state that the Township Supervisor is the Road District Treasurer and as such shall be paid no less than $100 per year and no more than $1000 per year “to be fixed” by the township board.

The Local Government Compensation Act states that (in spite of any other law to the contrary) compensation shall be fixed at least 180 prior to the next term of office with the exception for a multi-township assessor. Read them (here).

Additionally, the constitutionally prohibited increase or decrease in compensation of elected officers during their term of office (Art VII, Section 9(b)) should have prevented this payment. It matters not that the Supervisor is the “ex officio” treasurer of the Road District, his compensation must be set and included in the compensation setting resolution. If not set as additional compensation, he cannot receive it.

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