Published: May 16, 2008 03:00 pm            

Mercer Employees: Pay raise won’t hit pockets

PRINCETON — Members of the Mercer County Commission voted to give full-time county employees a $1,000-per-year pay increase during Wednesday’s meeting, but some employees said they still won’t see another cent.

Commissioner Karen Disibbio made the pay raise motion following a funding request by the 911 center for a pay increase for full-time employees.

The pay increase goes into effect July 1, the same time increasing insurance costs will consume the pay increase for many employees.

Circuit Clerk Office employee Evelyn Linkous said she will actually be making less after the raise, thanks to the increase in insurance and retirement costs.

“My pay increase will be a loss of $2.40. It will not be an increase. It just looks good on paper,” she said.

Linkous said she works three jobs as a single person trying to make it on her own.

Brenda Machnic said the pay increase would be good if they could keep it.

“The insurance is going up right along with it. We don’t even get a cost-of-living raise,” she said.

Wendi Lawson, who also works in the County Clerk’s Office, said employees were still grateful for the raise.

“In reality with the insurance, we’ll make about the same amount. It will offset the insurance increase. I’ll be going negative and making less. The insurance increase will be about $85, and the raise will be $83,” she said.

In other action Wednesday, commissioners were busy during the monthly meeting, with state Treasurer John Perdue making a presentation and a public hearing on the Spanishburg water project all part of the agenda.

Perdue and his staff were on hand to discuss investing in the West Virginia Consolidated Fund, which manages the state’s short-term funds. Perdue said the county, cities, local fire departments and public service districts could invest with the board to diversify their portfolio. The fund’s board, of which Perdue and Gov. Joe Manchin are members, manages $3.6 billion in money invested from all over the state.

Perdue said the fund is triple bond rated by Forbes and has competitive rates.

“We’re saying, ‘Don’t put your eggs all in one basket,’” he told the crowd of fire department chiefs, mayors and others interested. “We run a bank... I’ve been around the state and working with different agencies in the counties to talk about investing in the board and diversifying their portfolio.”

Members of the commission voted to authorize investing in the fund by county subdivisions, such as fire departments and cities.

There was a public hearing during the commission meeting concerning Phase II of the Spanishburg water project. Cori Edwards, with Region I Planning and Development, said the organization is applying for a $1.5 million HUD small cities block grant to continue the project. Edwards said they received a $200,000 commitment for design and to get the project underway.

She said the project will mainly run up the Beckley Road. Part of the hearing also was about any environmental concerns for the project. She said there were no problems, so the project could proceed. Edwards mentioned the Beeson area, which doesn’t have water. Members of the Beeson community attended a water and sewer meeting in March about their water woes.

Edwards told those attending the meeting the best thing for them to do is when the area is carved out for the project to sign on and get their neighbors to sign on saying they want water.

Sheriff Danny Wills spoke to the commissioner about a point-and-pay system where residents could pay county taxes online or in the office by using credit cards. Currently, using credit cards is not an option. He said it would be a step in the 21st century. There would be a 2.95 percent processing fee for the service. He told the commissioners he would have a program for them illustrating the service at a future meeting.

In other action, commissioners approved a $6,000 request by the Oakvale Road Public Service District for the Mercer County Vocational Technical Hospitality Program. The donation will come out of the hotel and motel fund.

Commissioners also approved a $3,000 funding request for Bluetop Blue Grass. That funding also came out of the hotel and motel fund. They approved a request by the 911 center for a new telephone system and Boggess Architect Inc. as the architectural and engineering firm for the proposed new 911 building.

Members of the commission also approved a master lease-sublease agreement for the Princeton Rescue Squad. The squad will purchase two new rescue units at $121,500 through Comvest Ltd.

The commission members entered into a contract with Pitney Bowes for a new postage machine at $1,106 per month. Disibbio said the old machine was outdated.

— Contact Mark Blevins at

mblevins@ptonline.net.

        

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