County Board Considers Employee Contracts

Effingham County Board members Tuesday approved a three-year contract agreement with the Teamsters Union local representing employees of the Effingham County Highway Department.

(RETIRED COUNTY CLERK'S OFFICE STAFF MEMBER LOUISE JOHNSON LISTENS AS COUNTY BOARD CHAIRMAN JIM NIEMANN HONORS HER 21 YEARS' SERVICE)

The agreement is retroactive to the start of the County fiscal year on December 1 and includes a 2% pay raise in each of the three years.

The Board also considered ratifying a three-year agreement with the Laborers Union local representing clerical workers in several county offices, but delayed action since it couldn't be confirmed that the affected employees had voted on the agreement.

The Board also approved the salary schedule for non-union county employees, also reflecting a 2% pay hike.

County Board Chairman Jim Niemann said negotiations continue with the Fraternal Order of Police Union locals representing Effingham County Sheriff's Department road deputies and non-sworn personnel.

Also Tuesday, the County Board amended the fiscal year budget, only to create line items for the County Health Department. No money was allocated for the line items; officials said the line items were only included so the Health Department budget would reflect the County budget makeup. The matter will be revisited at the end of the fiscal year to see where monies need reallocated from where they're currently budgeted.

The Board vote to sell a parcel of property taken for delinquent taxes. County Treasurer Steve Dasenbrock said the step would get the parcel back on the tax rolls. In a related matter, Dasenbrock said judgement was taken in Circuit Court Tuesday on unpaid 2014 taxes. The County Tax Sale will take place this Friday morning at 10:00. The sale is where bids will be taken on unpaid taxes with the low bidder getting to buy the taxes. If the person pays off the taxes and the property owner doesn't repay the successful bidder, the successful bidder becomes the owner of the property.

Board members approved a law enforcement mutual aid agreement and recognition of ILEAS, which governs efforts by law enforcement agencies to provide support to other agencies in emergencies. Also approved was an agreement between the county Emergency Management Agency and the Logan County agency governing the use of emergency generators and trailers housed in Effingham County by IEMA.

The Board approved release of minutes from several closed sessions held by the Board in 2013 and 2014; and approved appointments to various boards and committees, including David Budde and Larry Thies to new terms on the Ambulance Oversight Committee, Todd Hull, Brittny Gipson, Jane Reinheimer, Ken Larimore and Ed Hoopingarner to the Grant Research Committee, and Carol Warfield to the Board of Health. All of those are re-appointments, and each is for a two-year term.

Effingham County Sheriff Dave Mahon reported that his department is receiving a new K9 vehicle from the Howard Buffett Foundation. Buffett, son of legendary investor Warren Buffett, is highly successful in his own right and is an Illinois resident. His foundation is donating 100 new units to each 100 counties in Illinois. Mahon said the SUV will be fully outfitted by the Foundation other than radio equipment. Mahon said the terms of the Foundation are that the vehicle is to be used solely for K9 purposes. The vehicle is valued, with all of the "K9 bells and whistles" as Mahon phrased it, at more than $63,000, all paid for by the Foundation. Mahon credited County K9 officers Rob Rich and Brandon Murray for finalizing the donation.

The Board also took time to recognize Louise Johnson on her retirement after 21 years of work in the Effingham County Clerk's Office first under retired clerk Bob Behrman and then under current clerk Kerry Hirtzel.