DARLINGTON — A meeting of the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors was held Aug. 15 in the County Board room.
After reading Resolution 18-23, which would increase all Highway Department employees a $2.00 pay increase for Oct. 2023 and a $2.00 pay increase for Jan. 2024, Supervisor Scott Pedley amended the resolution to not include the Highway Dept. employees in any county-wide cost of living salary increase in 2024.
County Board Chair Jack Sauer had the board voice vote on the amendment first, which passed with 10 yes and 6 no.
Supervisor Bob Boyle asked, “When we go down the road, are we going to have a set rule that any department that gets a specific raise will not get the cost of living increase?”
Sauer said, “We already broke the rules. We have a rule that you only ask for an increase during budget time and we broke that rule. How do we keep all of the departments happy. Human Service is down six employees. We’re not consistent and we never have been.”
Supervisor Dan Morrisey added, “Another thing we found out today is we’re looking at 6% increase in our insurance. If we had known that some of us wouldn’t have gone down this road.”
Sauer said, “We are paying about $10 per hour per employee for insurance.”
Pedley said, “I believe this group (county highway employees) have been treated like the orphaned step child when it comes to decent wage increases. I think this is intended to be catch-up. The fact that they are having difficulty retaining and recruiting is another reason for us to adopt this resolution. Twenty percent is huge, by our standards. We can’t sustain this way of budgeting and spending. The increase in shared revenue is going to take the heat off the finance committee and director. As far as others coming forward (asking for raises), I’d encourage them not to, because I’m prepared to say no. If we’ve already addressed their wages through boosts in wages, then I think it’s incumbent on us to say no. We need to stay firm on that as a board.”
Other business:
● Approved the use of American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds for Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department’s jail remodel project in the amount of $200,000 and for signs and gravel for Lafayette County Parks in the amount of $10,000. This will leave approximately $1,759,843 in the ARPA fund account for the county.
● Approved a wage adjustment for the secretary position in the District Attorneys office.
● Approved the creation of a Case Manager position for the Children’s Long Term Support Program in the Lafayette County Human services department at a total wage of $21.22 per hour, plus benefits.
● Approved an increase for the Activity Director at the Lafayette Manor from $16.24 per hour to $22.00 per hour.
● Approved a creation of a Treatment Court Case Manager position in Court Services department.
● Approved Resolution 26-23 Countywide EMS Tax Levy limit exception declaration ruling agreement and an establishment of an EMS Advisory Subcommittee.