Jasper County Board Passes Budget, Including Circuit Clerk Cuts

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Published on November 13 2015 4:44 pm
Last Updated on November 13 2015 4:44 pm
Written by Greg Sapp

Jasper County board members Thursday approved a budget for the fiscal year beginning December 1, including cuts to the Circuit Clerk's office.

Circuit Clerk Jamie Blake spoke to the Board at the meeting, asking them to reconsider the cuts. Blake said she reviewed the budget and said her office is the only one being cut. She said she needs the dollars or will be short on funds to pay her staff. Blake said she doesn't feel her budget should be cut if others aren't being reduced. She said she had $16,000 remaining in funds at the end of last year but, now she'll be short. Blake said her office budget has been cut several thousand dollars since 2010, and said this year's cuts are above and beyond what they should have been.

The Board passed the budget intact, though, on an 8-4 vote.

Board members also voted to move county funds to a different bank as the current depository doesn't waive banking fees for the County. The Board also transferred Tort funds and Personal Property Replacement Tax funds so they can be used to pay insurance premiums, and approved the Public Defender contract for 2016. Approval was also given to do $5,393 in remodeling work to create sleeping quarters in the ambulance department since many employees live outside Newton. There is also work underway to select a new ambulance service manager, as the current manager is resigning as of month's end. There was discussion about naming Daniel Alzate as interim manager for six months until a permanent manager is chosen.

Jasper board members appointed Jason Warfel to the South Central Illinois Regional Planning and Development Commission.