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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Monday, November 9, 2009 9:17 PM CST
Board to consider $250 or $500 raises for county workers

By DAVE FOPAY, Staff Writer
dfopay@jg-tc.com

CHARLESTON — Coles County employees will get pay raises of specific dollar amounts instead of a percentage increase over their current salaries for the county fiscal year that begins Dec. 1.

Full-time employees will make $500 more for the year and permanent part-time employees will get $250 more with the 2010 fiscal year budget scheduled for a vote at tonight’s Coles County Board meeting.

The budget of just more than $11 million, about $148,000 larger than the current year’s budget, is limited by property tax revenue restrictions based on a rate of inflation of 0.1 percent, explained member Mike Weaver, chairman of the board’s Finance Committee. The Property Tax Extension Limitation Law that’s in effect in the county limits a government’s yearly property tax revenue increase to 5 percent or the current rate of inflation, whichever is less.

Weaver said the Finance Committee members also thought raises of set dollar amounts would be more equitable for employees at the lower end of the pay scale, whose pay increases wouldn’t be as much as higher-paid workers if the raises were based on a percentage.

In recent years, the budget included pay raises of a percentage equal to that year’s rate of inflation. For a $500 raise to equal an increase of 0.1 percent, this year’s rate of inflation, an employee’s annual salary would have to be $500,000.

The budget’s projection for the county’s share of sales tax revenue also reflects the recent state of the economy, Weaver explained. The expected income from sales tax is $230,000, a drop of $130,000 from what the 2009 budget projected.

The Finance Committee wanted to give priority to several pending maintenance and improvement projects needed for the courthouse, Weaver also said. The budget for building and grounds improvements increased by $30,000 from last year’s budget to $100,000.

Other matters scheduled for the meeting include:

n Reappointing Henry “Woody” Kramer and Pete Love to the county Mental Health 708 Board. The board’s Health and Safety Committee voted earlier to recommend the appointments, which the board delayed last month because of the lack of a committee recommendation.

The board had been scheduled to vote on the appointments in September as well, but concerns about communication with the mental health board led to a delay. Kramer later met with the Health and Safety Committee to address the concerns.

n Approving an agreement with the Coles County Council on Aging to allow space between the council’s LifeSpan Center facility and its Dial-A-Ride bus garage to be used for parking. The county and the council each own half the ground that will be used.

n Renewing the county’s agreement with PersonalCare Health Management, Inc. for employee health insurance and increasing the amount the county contributes toward monthly premiums by $5 to $305 per employee.

n Waiving the county’s hiring freeze so the Health Department can fill a nursing position vacancy.

n Presenting a plaque to retiring Supervisor of Assessments Jean Tipsword.

Contact Dave Fopay at dfopay@jg-tc.com or 238-6858.

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Lilly wrote on Nov 10, 2009 7:45 AM:

" Most of the country is going without any raise at all. Times are tuff. Wouldn't want any government raises or jobs to be cut! "

Peter_Venkman wrote on Nov 10, 2009 9:09 AM:

" Hey there is some money that could help pay for the 911 expenses!!! "

Old Grumpy wrote on Nov 10, 2009 1:28 PM:

" How many supporters (votes) will $250 or $500 a year get you? The County Board is going to find out.

With the economy in the toilet, sales taxes drying up, and unemployment sky-rocketing I'm happy to just have a job. My employer was unable to give us a raise this year because of slow work orders. Now not only did I not get a raise but I will have to pay higher taxes so the County Board can hand out raises. "

Dally wrote on Nov 10, 2009 5:21 PM:

" Not only did I not get a raise but I will have to pay higher taxes so the County Board can hand out raises.

Good point! "

61938 wrote on Nov 10, 2009 10:09 PM:

" Just wait until we have socialist health care grumpy. Then you will find out what higher taxes really are. "

Let's Be Frank wrote on Nov 11, 2009 6:49 AM:

" Giving out small raises to deserving employees should not be an issue. Money could be saved by cutting the entire salary of any dead-weight employees, if there are any. Surely there may be a couple of places that can be streamlined. "

Why Not wrote on Nov 11, 2009 8:37 AM:

" I have recently found out you can go to just about any hardware store and find hooks to hold up shovels and the such...they are generally about $20 or so. That could be a cheaper option than paying a few people to stand around and hold those same shovels up. "

Old Grumpy wrote on Nov 11, 2009 11:29 AM:

" 61938, Now that really scares me! If things do not turn around soon my employer will have to make a few very hard choices. They provide an adequate health care package that I can afford. If I lose my job, even though under the proposed plan I would be able to keep the insurance, how could I pay for coverage? Getting laid off because the additional taxes to provide health care for illegal aliens causes my employer to go broke is stupid. "

Mama says wrote on Nov 11, 2009 7:55 PM:

" No raises for us social security ole folks. We looked into lower insurances and found where save $105, so we got vehicle/homeowners there. This is monthly savings. Cutback on other areas, cheaper meals, get by with the local channels, no eating out for awhile, make one trip to Mattoon work to buy groceries, pickup medicine, dog to vet on way when needed, helps on gas.
When go to doctor do the above things.
But when do ALL it is best to eat something and the $1 doublecheese is fine for me with big glass unsweet tea.
Keeps me from having diabetic situation.
That is a big tea for a buck, too.
One has to have a plan at what SAVES.
I know all are struggling. We know we will survive, we did survive when parents went thru the GREAT DEPRESSION.
I remember we didn't have much but we never knew it as kids. I wonder how many working in cushy jobs, realize what hardship it is on taxpayers.

How can a mad cow and calves be found and 11 million aliens cannot be found? "

lefty wrote on Nov 11, 2009 8:19 PM:

" You wanna know why these raises went through? Because county employees in that courthouse are largely Republicans. They have to prop up their fellow party members.

See, conservative values go the wayside when its their people.... no hypocrisy! But if Dems did it in Chicago, ooooooohhhhss nooooos! "

Just a Soldier wrote on Nov 11, 2009 9:04 PM:

" " Giving out small raises to deserving employees should not be an issue. Money could be saved by cutting the entire salary of any dead-weight employees, if there are any. Surely there may be a couple of places that can be streamlined. "

Let's be Frank, why are county employees more deserving than those in the private sector? If the people paying those salaries are being denied raises, why should they have their money go to paying others? It is a slap in the face, plain and simple. "

The Question wrote on Nov 12, 2009 6:04 AM:

" Lower salaries for everyone! That will certainly stimulate the economy.
But not for the Wall Street bankers, of course. They need those hundreds of millions in bonuses, or they may refuse to create new fraudulent derivatives for us.
That's Republican Economics 101 for you. "

MIchael wrote on Nov 12, 2009 8:05 AM:

" Interesting that those opposed to what amounts to a 1/2 of 1 percent raise for county employees were nowhere to be found when social security was increased 5% last year and this year the Charleston police got a 3 year contract at 2% each year.

It seems that no one in public service should ever get a raise, but yet the demands for services increase. Go figure! "

Just a Soldier wrote on Nov 12, 2009 2:05 PM:

" When a company is struggling financially, it doesn't give its employees raises because it cannot afford to spend more than it makes. That is the danger of turning more of our economy over to the government. Here we have employees whose mode of payment, taxpayers, is struggling financially, yet they are still getting a raise because unlike a business, the government can just vote themselves more of our money. I don't have a problem with government employees getting raises when the state of the economy justifies it, and right now, it simply does not. Hard working people are being denied raises, having hours cut, and losing benefits. Then, they are told that it is only fair and right that they have more of what they have left taken and given to someone else as a raise. "

Lilly wrote on Nov 12, 2009 5:04 PM:

" Just a Soldier wrote on Nov 12, 2009 2:05 PM:

" When a company is struggling financially, it doesn't give its employees raises because it cannot afford to spend more than it makes. That is the danger of turning more of our economy over to the government. Here we have employees whose mode of payment, taxpayers, is struggling financially, yet they are still getting a raise because unlike a business, the government can just vote themselves more of our money. I don't have a problem with government employees getting raises when the state of the economy justifies it, and right now, it simply does not. Hard working people are being denied raises, having hours cut, and losing benefits. Then, they are told that it is only fair and right that they have more of what they have left taken and given to someone else as a raise. "
----

That is exactly the way it needs to be looked at! "

lefty wrote on Nov 12, 2009 5:33 PM:

" Like I said, its patronage for the Republicans working in the courthouse. An 11-1 Republican majority, supposedly conservative on fiscal issues, are draining the funds during tough times.

It's patronage. "

Harry Potter wrote on Nov 12, 2009 6:35 PM:

" JAS, I wonder what your position will be when the teachers union contract comes up next time? "

Just a Soldier wrote on Nov 13, 2009 8:50 AM:

" If the economy is in the state it is now, I won't expect a raise. If I get one, so be it, but I am not going to be out demanding one. If I want to increase my pay, I will go back to school to achieve a higher degree. Was that the answer you were looking for? People like you and your little friends are at a disadvantage in discussions like this because you are incapable of thinking independently. You think that bringing up party affiliations has some bearing on what is right and what is wrong. You expect that everyone is a blind-folded ideologue because that is what you are. Much like your friends, you can't imagine someone looking at an issue and processing it logically against their own value system in order to reach a conclusion. Your conclusions are all reached based upon hating those who have opposing opinions. "