Country Club Hills Council Cuts Treasurer’s Compensation Sparking Fiery Debate (Country Club Hills, IL) — The City Council voted 4-1 to reduce compensation for the elected city treasurer Monday, escalating a dispute over financial oversight involving an official who is also running for mayor.
Treasurer Steven Burris’ candidacy adds a political dimension to the Oct. 26 vote, which followed his complaints that the administration had stripped responsibilities from his office. His campaign is listed in ActBlue’s directory for the city’s 2027 mayoral election.
Mayor James Ford was excused from the meeting, leaving Alderman Anthony Davis to preside over exchanges that grew increasingly contentious as officials debated who controls the city’s financial operations.
Aldermen Davis, Tyrone Hutson, Vincent Lockett Jr. and Deidra Strothers supported the compensation ordinance. Alderman Ricardo Spivey cast the lone dissenting vote. Spivey is also reportedly running for Mayor.
Hutson, chairman of the council’s Law, Ordinance, Government Operations and Contract Committee, presented the change as a response to an office whose duties have diminished over time. He read language stating that many responsibilities once associated with the treasurer are now performed by professional finance and administrative staff.
Burris offered a different account: The administration had taken away his authority, then used the reduced responsibilities to justify cutting the office’s pay.
The political circumstances give weight to questions about retaliation. Supporters’ stated justification was the redistribution of duties. Spivey argued the change reflected a broader effort to consolidate control over city finances.
“There’s no reason why” the mayor should reduce the scope of the office and lower its compensation, Spivey said, accusing Ford of seeking to “control the books and control the office.”
The city’s fiscal 2026-27 budget provides a baseline for the financial stakes. Its executive department schedule lists $29,274 for the treasurer under personnel services, compared with $28,700 in the preceding year’s budget. The same schedule lists $156,706 for the mayor and $48,336 for the clerk.
Those are budget allocations, rather than proof of each official’s legally established base salary. They also predate Monday’s vote and do not establish the size of the newly approved reduction.
The confrontation began during Burris’ treasurer’s report, when he raised concerns about an advertising invoice, check-signing authority and a payment he described as petty cash.
Hutson interrupted, calling Burris’ remarks “a political speech.” Davis instructed the treasurer to stay with his monthly report. Burris maintained that the issues concerned his office and its ability to oversee city finances.
Burris said he no longer signs city checks and that signing authority had been moved to an appointed finance director. He said that authority was not returned after the director left.
Lockett disputed the implication that city checks require the treasurer’s signature. He said the city’s ordinance permits signatures from other designated officials, including the mayor, clerk, finance chairman or finance director.
“Let’s speak the whole truth,” Lockett said.
Burris also questioned a roughly $189,000 payment he described as a petty cash distribution, emphasizing that he had not signed the check. The underlying transaction was not established by the materials reviewed for this article, and his remarks do not establish that money was missing or improperly spent.
Another dispute involved Omni Channel, a radio station Burris said had submitted an invoice of approximately $18,000. He said Ford contended that the station instead owed the city $40,000, prompting a Freedom of Information Act request that Burris said produced no documents.
Station owner Tracy Bell later told the council she had received two payments for advertising services but still had an outstanding balance.
“I am still owed money for my invoice,” Bell said.
Residents pressed for financial records and explanations of who signed city checks. Other speakers urged restraint, respect for elected offices and formal complaints if residents believed wrongdoing had occurred.
The budget places those arguments against a general fund spending plan of approximately $28.06 million, with projected revenue of $28.18 million. Police and fire department appropriations total about $14.13 million, or 50.4% of planned general fund expenditures, below the 69% figure cited during public comment.
The budget also explains that approximately $3 million in police and fire pension revenue and expenses were newly reflected in the fiscal 2027 presentation, complicating direct comparisons with earlier budgets.
Spivey connected the treasurer’s dispute to an earlier fight over his own compensation, saying he had hired an attorney and waited almost a year to resolve his pay.
The disagreement continued into the closing reports. Hutson accused Spivey of previously supporting a treasurer pay reduction during an administrative meeting. Spivey sought recognition to respond and denied the claim as the council moved toward adjournment.
“I voted for no such thing,” he said.
The council adjourned on a unanimous vote. Its next administrative meeting is scheduled for Nov. 9.
Country Club Hills Council Cuts Treasurer’s Compensation Sparking Fiery Debate
