County Board Approves Raises for Elected Officials Effective in 2014

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The County Board approved a motion to set the base pay for the Circuit Clerk, County Clerk, Treasurer and Supervisor of Assessments at $54,000 beginning Dec. 1, 2014 and approving an annual $1,500 raise every year through 2018. The Sheriff's salary would start at $64,000 and the Coronoer's at $27,000 on Dec. 1, 2014 and be subject to the same raises. County Commissioners will earn $15,500 beginning on Dec. 1, 2014 and receive a $500 per year raise each year through 2018.

The Board had to approve raises now or risk having salaries frozen for the next four years.

In other business, the board:

gave verbal approval for the placement of a the 'Fallen Heroes' monument on the courthouse lawn and authorized Sheriff Keith Kellerman and Chairman Bobby Kelly to authorize any work that needs to be done before a written contract is completed and approved at the next regular board meeting on June 7. One concern raised at the meeting was that the memorial, honoring police, fire and emergences services personnel should not be larger than the veteran's memorial on the south side of the courthouse. Sheriff Keith Kellerman also asked whether corrections employees would fall under the police portion of the memorial. Fred Pabst said he believed they would. He said he would like to begin digging the footings next week. The target date for dedication of the memorial is June 23.

heard from Supervisor of Assessments John Batteau that he hopes to receive the final multiplier from the state early next week. County Clerk Kevin Kern said he expects to have all of the work on tax extensions completed by the end of the month. Treasurer Bill Taylor said his portion of the work will be done approximately two weeks after Kern's office is finished. He hopes to have tax bills in the mail the third week of June. The first installment would be due six weeks later and the final installment six weeks after that. The tax cycle is a little ahead of last year.

heard from Donna Boros, Superintend of Schools for the Perry-Jackson Regional Office of Education that the Senate has passed legislation reducing the number of ROEs in the state to 35. Once the the House approves the bill, changes and consolidation can begin. ROEs with a population below 61,000 will be broken up and annexed by neighboring regions. Boros said she foresees Union and Alexander Counties asking to join the Perry-Jackson ROE. The County Boards would negotiate any annexations. In the meantime, there is nothing to be done on the consolidation. Boros said she is following the legislation proposed to pay for the teacher's retirement system. There are several measures proposed which use personal property replacement tax for funding and another, which she expects to pass, which shifts the burden for retirement funding to local school districts. She also expects the state to decrease general state aid and transportation funding to school districts.