The Decatur County Council met on Tuesday.
Rosie Stier and Linda Westrup came to the board to give their thanks. They have often come to the council asking for funding for the clinic and they appreciate that the council recognizes needs of the county past what is inside the courthouse. The Sheriff added that he thanks the clinic and the council for supporting them, as the jail uses the clinic for inmates.
Tim Ortman came to the board for the Pictometry contract. The contracts are due at the end of the year and Ortman wanted to ensure that he had the funding to continue the contract of $50,000 for 2022 before signing. This was approved.
Sheriff Durant came to the board to request a part-time pay rate change. This is to keep their part time set at $15 an hour rather than the county’s $13.50 an hour rate. This was approved.
Brad Speer came to the board to request a part-time pay rate change. This is to keep their part time set at $16 an hour rather than the county’s $13.50 an hour rate. This was approved.
Erika Free came to the board requesting to give the dispatchers a COVID stipend. They are not asking for funds, only transferring funds. The amount given is dependent on how long the employee has worked during COVID, with the top amount being $2,000 for dispatchers who have been there since the beginning. This would appear on the next Friday paycheck and would be a one time thing. This was approved.
Mark Mohr came to the board requesting to give the highway department a COVID Stipend. Mohr is trying to lift spirits and give a reward to the employees who have worked during these troubling times. This is just a transfer of funds. This was approved.
Dottie Robbins came to the board requesting to use perpetuation fund money to increase the salary of their staff. They feel as though they wouldn’t be much of a leader if they didn’t fight for themselves and their employees. This would be a one time thing and if it were to continue would need to be re-approved. This was tabled.
Adina Roberts came to the board requesting to use perpetuation fund money to amend and increase the salary of their staff for 2022. They believe that it is unfair of the council to shoot down the payroll in the budget and then approve any additional that comes their way. They feel as though they are losing staff to other offices in the county who pay higher. This was tabled.
Diane Wenning came to the board requesting to use perpetuation fund money to amend and increase the salary of their staff for 2022. They believe that the salary study the county is planning probably should have happened first, however what is done is done. Their office shows a lot of dedication and hard work as they have been cleaning up the issues that have been building up for years. They have also been commended by both the county commissioners and the field auditor on their work. This was tabled.
All salary amendment requests were tabled due to the county council feeling as though departments are starting to piece together salaries, which is unsustainable. There will be a study done on all departments for salaries in the coming year. These were not denied as once they make an decision on salary for the next year it cannot be changed even if approved. There will be a special meeting held next Tuesday, the 28, at 9 am for further discussion.
Teresa Kovacich came to the board requesting to amend the 2022 salary. They took over the parks Department in August and since then have been getting paid for their current and previous position. They are requesting to receive a salary of $47,845 which is the salary for their current position plus the $700 departments received. This was approved.
Janet Chadwell requested to give $2,000 as a COVID stipend for their deputies. They were one of several offices who remained open during the height of COVID. This was approved.
The council commented that they feel it is necessary to set a cap on stipends as they currently seem out of control and scattered. The board approved that stipends can be no more than $2,000 per employee.
All additionals and transfers were approved.
Morgan Schofield
WTRE News
All Rights Reserved