Elmhurst Officials May Hike Their Pay

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst officials on Monday plan to discuss giving raises to the mayor and aldermen for the first time in a quarter century.

The mayor makes $8,000 a year, while aldermen get $2,400. They are considered part-time jobs.

The salaries have lost about half their buying power.

In October 2024, then-aldermen Tina Park and Brian Cahill suggested reviewing officials' pay, saying it was low.

"We want all of Elmhurst to be represented; however, the low compensation can favor more affluent community members, keeping some from being able to run and serve," they said in a memo.

Both aldermen decided against running again.

Their request came a week after Patch's story about how area township trustees made far more than Elmhurst aldermen.

Budget-wise, the city of Elmhurst is far larger than local townships.

At 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall, the council's finance committee plans to discuss elected officials' salaries.

Late last year, the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference surveyed 16 towns on their salaries.

Some towns, such as Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills, pay nothing to their village presidents and trustees.

Others, including Bensenville, pay more. The village president receives $26,000, while trustees get $12,000. Elmhurst's population is more than twice Bensenville's.

In April, two-thirds of Bensenville's voters rejected a proposal to give the village president a $119,000 raise.