Des Moines County's elected leaders will not be receiving the types of pay hikes they might have been anticipating in the upcoming fiscal year.
The county's compensation board recommended raises of roughly 4% for the County Attorney, Auditor, Recorder, Sheriff & Treasurer.
The Board of Supervisors went against the recommendation, though, and reduced the proposed raises to around 1%.
That decision also impacts employees in the five offices who hold leadership or "deputy" positions as their salaries are based on the salaries of their bosses.
Chairman Bob Beck says this is in line with what other employees will receive.
"Our unions contracts are specifiying 1%," says Beck, "and the reason the unions negotiated that way because they knew that at that point we were in financial difficulties without raising taxes. They just agreed to it and we think everyone else should too."
Beck says non-union employees will also receive 1% raises next year.
The supervisors took things a step further with their own salaries by freezing them.
OFFICE RELOCATION
Meanwhile, Beck says the relocation of the county attorney's office is going "rather smooth."
He hopes the move from the Burlington Police Station to the former U.S. Bank building in downtown Burlington will be complete by the end of the month.
Beck says not everything will be transported, though, as some files and documents will be moved to another county-owned building.
He says that will make a future move to a permanent location for the county attorney's office easier as the U.S. Bank building is not a permanent location.
"That building is for sale and we are not going to buy it," says Beck. "We are going to have to look for something. We bought ourselves some time."
The county chose to move the office because of structural concerns with the Burlington Police Station.
Beck says crews are busy installing phone lines, adding heating units and attaching secure doors at the new location.
The county has a one-year lease on the property, with an option to extend.
