At their Nov. 20 meeting, the Lincoln County Commissioners signed a three-year contract with the Lincoln County Communications Association, firming up one more piece of the budgetary puzzle for 2013.
The LCCA is one of two union organizations that the county needs to contract as part of completing the fiscal year 2013 budget. The Budget Advisory Committee has passed on a recommended budget to the commissioners, but it was still awaiting figures from the two union contracts, among other things.
Negotiations have just begun between the county and the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 014, which represents certain employees of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, according to County Administrator John O’Connell in a phone conversation on Nov. 20.
Both parties are waiting for reactions to each others proposals, O’Connell said.
Among other changes, the new LCCA contract includes cumulative wages increases of 1.75, 2.00, and 2.25 percent effective on Jan. 1 of 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively, according to Annalee Rosenblatt, a labor negotiations consultant for Lincoln County.
In other business, the commissioners approved the appointment of Casey Stevens to the position of Assistant to the Director of the E-911 Communications/EMA.
The start date of the position has not yet been determined, said O’Connell.
The commissioners authorized County Treasurer Rick Newell to solicit bids for a 2013 tax anticipation note of up to $6 million.
Newell said he thinks $6 million should cover the county’s needs if the budget is similar to last year. Commissioner Sheridan Bond said he does expect the 2013 budget to be similar to last year’s budget.
Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett said he needs more time to “pin down” costs on lock systems and installation for a staff entrance to the county courthouse.
Bracket said he is looking into three to four options, one of which is a biometric thumbprint lock that he said is “reasonable.”
The cost of the biometric technology has come down significantly and is one of the lower cost options for the entrance, Brackett said. The lock has both a push-button and a key override, should the scanner fail to work, he said.
