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County OKs new EMA agreement

The Fayette County Board voted last week to continue its agreement with the Fayette County Health Department for the county’s Emergency Management Agency coordinator.
This is the second year for that partnership, through which Kendra Craig serves as the EMA coordinator while continuing to work for the health department.
The agreement calls for the FCHD to obtain grant funding for the coordinator’s salary, and the county to reimburse the health department quarterly for one-fourth of the EMA grant.
Also at last Tuesday’s meeting:
• Fayette County Clerk and Recorder Terri D. Braun, the county’s election official, reported that the cost per voter at the April consolidation election was $9.51. Election costs totaled $41,377.53, and there were 4,349 votes cast.
• The board approved the replacement of Dr. Michael Darmadi on the Fayette County Board of Health with Dr. Dawn McDaid. McDaid will serve the remainder of Darmadi’s term, which expires on June 30 of next year.
• The board approved the reappointments of Sandy Albright of rural St. Elmo, Kris Luster of rural Ramsey and Pete LeDuc of rural Vandalia to the Fayette County Board of Health. Their terms run through June 30, 2016.
The board also approved the reappointment of Darrell Schaal of rural Farina to the board of health as the county board representative.
• The board approved the reappointments of Marsha K. Lilly-Wright and Doug Knebel to the Fayette County Hospital District Board of Trustees. Their terms run through June 30, 2016.
• The board approved a preliminary engineering agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation for the replacement of a bridge in Loudon Township, 1½ miles southeast of Wright’s Corner.
• The board approved a $4,000 appropriation from the county’s bridge fund for repairs to a bridge over Ash Creek in Ramsey Township.
• The board approved a liquor license for the Lake Club of Vandalia (Shrine Club). That license expires on July 15 of this year.
Board Chairman Steve Knebel said that the state reported having issues with the license, and that it OK’d the license after a change in leadership.
• The board approved an agreement between the Fayette County Highway Department and Laborers’ International Union on North America, Southern and Central Illinois District Council and Laborers’ Local 1997.
The agreement is retroactive to Dec. 1 of last year and runs through Nov. 30 of next year.
Board member Wade Wilhour, chairman of the board’s insurance and personnel committee, reported that the agreement provides for a 2½-percent pay increase in each of the three years.
That rate of increase, Wilhour said, matches that previously provided to county employees who are members of the Fraternal Order of Police.
Knebel said that the county initially asked for the agreement to include employee contributions to health insurance coverage, but later withdrew that proposal – at the recommendation of legal counsel ­– to avoid arbitration.
Board member Dean Bernhardt expressed his displeasure with the county’s inability to get help from the employees on paying for health insurance.
“We asked for $50, $60 a month and we couldn’t get that … and we’re paying $700 a month – unbelievable,” Bernhardt said.
• The board tabled action on an agreement for the county’s cooks, custodians and building maintenance personnel.

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