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Honor Rolls

At its regular meeting last Tuesday, the Fayette County Board approved language changes for the positions of chief deputy and jail administrator in the contract with the Fraternal Order of Police.
Under the resolution approved by the board, “classification seniority shall cease to accumulate for the period during which any employee holds the chief deputy or jail administrator position.”
The resolution states that classification seniority accumulated to a promotion remains at that level until the employee returns to the bargaining unit, at which time the employee again accrues such seniority.
Seniority for longevity pay will be based upon department seniority, and seniority for vacation accumulation will be based on employment seniority with the county.
Also, seniority for pension accumulation will be based on the employee’s full-time employment with the county.
The board eliminated the salary for a chief deputy at the end of 2013 as a way of reducing the county’s spending. At the time of the cut, the chief deputy was paid $48,000.
Also on Tuesday, the board approved a new contract with Dr. Connie Heaton of Heaton-Heistand Veterinarian Clinic for animal control services.
Board Chairman Jeff Beckman said that the only change in the new contract is its length; while the old contract was for five years, the new one is a two-year agreement.
Under the contract, the county will pay Heaton $58,000 per year.
• Beckman reported that the county will be filing a lawsuit against the state of Illinois for continued reimbursement for the salaries of the county’s state’s attorney, public defender and supervisor of assessments.
The chairman told board members that the county has not been reimbursed for portions of those salaries since June, and that he has learned the Bond County will also file suit in an attempt to get those state funds.
Assistant State’s Attorney Brenda Duke said that she would be filing the suit on Wednesday, against the state comptroller and director of the Illinois Department of Revenue.
Duke, who said that eight other counties have initiated such action, said the county will be “requesting that the money, instead of coming from the comptroller, come out of a special fund that the state of Illinois has set aside for these exact purposes.”
Beckman told board members, “Frankly, I don’t know if it’s going to go anywhere.”
• The board approved the renewal of health insurance coverage for county employees with Health Alliance.
Board member Wade Wilhour, chairman of the board’s insurance and personnel committee, said the county will see a 6-percent increase in the cost of the coverage.
He also told other board members that the committee looked into the county self-funding health coverage, and that it will discuss it further prior to next year’s renewal date.
• The board approved a local agency agreement for federal participation for the replacement of a bridge three miles northeast of Vandalia Correctional Center, then approved the county’s share, estimated to be $55,000 for that bridge replacement project.
• The board approved an intergovernmental agreement through which the office of Supervisor of Assessments Cindi Lotz to handle assessments for multi-township assessment district No. 5 while that assessor position is vacant.
• The board approved paying for the Christmas party for county employees. For 58 employees at a cost of $5 per person, the total cost was $348.
 

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