The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
by David Grimes, Quill Correspondent
A new three-year contract for Henderson County's nine deputies has been nailed down and the county board approved it at their April 9 meeting.
Brown, Russell, Keever, Doran, Eisenmayer, Lumbeck, Pence and Torrance were in attendance.
Board Chairman Marion Brown commended the union contract committee and Randy Keever in particular for the hard work and long hours put in on the contract.
Contract wording changes deal with a requirement for wearing body armour, discipline for drug and alcohol abuse and a wage increase of 3 1/2%, 3% and 3 1/2%, respectively, over the next three years.
The contract was to have been in place by December 1, 2001, but disagreement between the county and the union over specific wording prevented meeting the deadline.
"We feel it's a fair contract for everybody," Keever said.
The board additionally approved allowing County Assessor Nancy Brokaw to deputize the employees in her office and approved the annual county officer salary resolution.
County Clerk Marcella Cisna requested a raise for election judges, saying judges are becoming increasingly difficult to recruit and often put in a minimum 14-hour day. The rate in surrounding counties, she added, is between $85 and $100.
"My budget can handle $85," she said.
Bids were accepted on three Sheriff's Department squad cars and the following highway resolutions were approved:
Board members approved a transportation grant sought by the Warren Achievement Center, Monmouth, which provides $4,410 to the Henderson County Health Department for their transportation program.
The board appointed Jim Christofferson and David Steve Stewart as two additional Gulfport-Gladstone Fire District Board members.
Board re-appointments included: Robert Banta to a 2-year term on the Board of Review; Robert McGraw to the Gulfport Gladstone Fire District Board for a 3-year term; Larry Gearhart to the Raritan Fire District Board for a 3-year term; and Lawrence Neff to the M.S.T. Fire District Board for a 3-year term.
The board is scheduled to meet next at the courthouse June 11, 2002.