The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Wednesday), reviewed the County Compensation Board’s recommendations for salary increases for elected officials (Attorney, Auditor, Recorder, Treasurer, Sheriff and Board of Supervisors), but voted unanimously to adopt a Resolution cutting the amount of proposed increases in half. The increases will amount instead to: $1,500 for the Attorney, Auditor, Recorder and Treasurer; $2,500 for the Sheriff, and $600 for the Supervisors.

The Board also approved the Fiscal Year 2016-17 County Budget, which amounts to $18.35-million, or an increase of $2.15-million. The tax asking for the upcoming Fiscal Year is $5.32 per $1,000 valuation Countywide (a decrease of about 2-cents per thousand dollars from the last fiscal year) and $9.76 for the unincorporated areas that receive gas and electric utility service (a decrease of nearly 3.5-cents per thousand from last year). The Supervisors also approved the Cass County Secondary Roads Department Budget amounting to $5.63-million, and the purchase of two rolling  dump truck chassis with Allison transmissions. The low bid from Freightliner (with trade-ins) amounted to $149,754.

In other business, the Supervisors approved the appointment of two County Medical Examiner Investigators to assist Dr. Elaine Berry. The investigators, Allison Bruckner and Darci Young, both Registered Nurses at the Cass County Hospital, are in the process of being fully trained for the job, and will be paid $200 per call, effective immediately, an increase of $100 from last year. Their terms expire in two-years. Auditor Dale Sunderman pointed out M.E. Investigator fees in other counties can amount to as much as $500 per hour.

And, the Board acted on approving a Cass County Child Abuse Prevention Council request to proclaim April as “Child Abuse Prevention Month” in Cass County, which entails the placing of a sign and blue/silver pinwheels, in the flower garden areas on the south side of the Cass County Courthouse.