MOUND CITY – On Tuesday, Feb. 21, Linn County Clerk David Lamb told the commissioners that because they had been talking about pay increases, he had prepared one possible approach using a one dollar per hour increase for all county employees.
Lamb told the commissioners that based on the number of employees on last week’s payroll, 130 full-time and 18 part-time, increasing each employee’s wage by $1per hour would cost the county an extra $345,259 for a full year, including benefits.
If the increase started with the next pay period in 2023, it would cost the county $292,142.
Lamb said that $500,000 was put into the budget as income for the jail for 2023. But projected income numbers will probably be around $840,000. That difference of $340,000 would cover the one dollar per hour increase for 2023.
Lamb asked that while a dollar per hour increase is better than where the county is now, would that be enough to keep employees here.
Lamb said he would be happy to look at other options for the commissioners.
No action was taken on the salary increase proposal.
In other business, the commissioners:
• Approved a resolution making the old Register of Deeds copier surplus property and donating it to the Southeastern Technical Academy for Rural Students (STARS) program at Pleasanton. The copier, which is 10 years old and still operating, no longer qualifies for a maintenance contract and had no trade in value when the new one was purchased. Register of Deeds Kristy Schmitz notified all county offices of its availability but none of the offices were interested.
Schmitz contacted Jay. Allen at the STARS program to see if they were interested and they would like to have the copier.
• Learned from Information Technology Director Chris Martin that the commissioners’ laptops were in. He discussed training times with commissioners.
• Viewed the only bid received for mowing county properties from Levi Fyock of Scarecrow Farm Lawn Care. Public Works Director Shaun West was asked to go over the bid and compare what it would cost the county to do their own mowing. Four companies were contacted.
• Reviewed the agreement with Walnut Township in Missouri for maintenance of a portion of State Line Road.
• Learned that the county did not receive the airport grant.
• Received from West a cost-analysis study on the tipping floor project at the solid waste transfer station, information on elevating the current cells at the landfill and trash disposal. The engineers of the study will meet with the commissioners on Monday, March 6, at 10:15 a.m.
• Approved a bid of $10,874 from CDL to repair the courthouse boiler if it breaks down. West reported to the commissioners that the boiler was leaking between the cells and the gaskets needed to be replaced. He said it was also a possibility that the cells would need to be replaced. He said that unless the issue escalated, the repair would be postponed until warmer weather when the boiler can be shut down.
Commission Chair Danny McCullough asked West to get information on installing a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HAVC) system for the courthouse before the repairs were done on the boiler. The motion for repair was in case of emergency.
McCullough said that the county had spent $10,000 or so just three years ago on repairing a cell leak in the boiler.
• Approved a CDL training agreement with Enve McDaniel.