Published: May 10, 2008 07:24 pm         

County board to consider pay hikes

Panel suggests 3 percent raises

DANVILLE — Salaries are on the county board agenda for several offices up in the November general elections.

The salaries — which cover the offices of circuit clerk, recorder, coroner and auditor, among others — must be determined by the county before the Nov. 4 election.

Members of the county’s personnel and finance committee have approved 3 percent salary increases for each year of the four-year terms in office.

The proposal approved by the committee sets the salaries — each currently at $52,600 — to increase to $59,200 by the year 2011-12. County board Chairman Jim McMahon did not recommend a salary hike for his position, leaving it at $61,700.

The proposal is a change from two years ago when the county board decided upon just two years of 3 percent raises for officeholders up for election in 2006.

Discussions about the fairness of the increases were brought up at the committee level, but board members did not defeat the measure.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, board members:

-- Will vote on the appointment of assistant highway engineer Doug Staske as the new county highway engineer. Staske was approved unanimously by the county board transportation committee at Wednesday’s meeting. He has worked for the county the last three years under current highway engineer Bob Andrews.

Andrews announced in April he would retire from the post he has held for the last 13 years. His last day is June 15.

-- Will vote on a low bid of $248,000 for repairs on the roof of the courthouse annex, 6 N. Vermilion St.

The bid — offered by a Mattoon company — was one of three received for the project. No local companies vied for the project.

A start date, if approved by the board, depends on the results of an engineering report on the eastern and southern facades of the building, where materials had fallen from underneath the wall. The report details could be released as early as the next few days.

The roof, considered several years past its replacement point, will be removed and replaced.