La Salle County Board Debates Pay Raises

With money tight, pay raises for five county employees caused a lengthy debate at Thursday’s La Salle County Board meeting.

Despite five board members voting against all pay raises, the county clerk, treasurer, assessor, and maintenance supervisor are all getting pay raises starting this year.  After volunteering to freeze his pay for the next two years, the board took the sheriff up on his offer and froze the sheriff’s salary for two years before a 25 hundred dollar pay raise in years three and four of the contract.

The sheriff will be paid his current salary of 67 thousand dollars for the next two years while the county clerk and treasurer’s pay as of December will go up from 55 thousand to 56 thousand dollars.  Like the sheriff, both the clerk and treasurer will get larger pay raises in the later years of the contract.

The county assessor is also seeing her salary go up a thousand dollars to 77 thousand dollars while the maintenance supervisor likewise is getting a thousand dollar bump up to 61 thousand dollars.  The assessor will get a thousand dollar raise for the remainder of her deal while the maintenance supervisor’s pay will be renegotiated each year.

Board members Charles Borschenius and Russell Boe both were against any pay increases because of the bad economy.  But fellow board members Tom Gainiere and Jack Leininger said the county employees are underpaid compared to neighboring counties and even cities.  Gainiere pointed out that Ottawa’s police chief makes 14 thousand dollars more a year than the county sheriff.

The La Salle County Clerk, Treasurer, and Sheriff are all up for re-election in November.

Raw foods focus of upcoming Green Fete Festival

It’s time to “go green” in Ottawa.

The second annual “Green Fete Festival” in La Salle County is happening on Saturday, June 19^th at the old Jordan Block in downtown Ottawa.  The inaugural festival took place last year at Lehigh Park in Oglesby.

Like last year’s event, the Green Fete Festival will go from noon until seven and feature workshops on things like organic food, photography and yoga.  There will also be food vendors and kids activities.

Gerard Beech runs Foothill Organics in Utica and is organizing the Green Fete Festival.  Beech says he especially wants to promote the healthy aspects of raw food choices.

There’s no admission to the festival and its for all ages.

You can find out more information by going to the website www.greenfetefestival.com.

L-P Graduation Moved Inside

If you’re going to L-P graduation tonight, there’s a change in venue.

Because of all the rain, the graduation is moving indoors to the high school gym.  Ceremonies had been planned outside at Howard Fellows Stadium.

L-P seniors should get to the gym no later than 6:30 tonight.

Heavy Rain Leading To Flooding

With rain all thru the night and more today, all kinds of flood watches and warnings are in effect for the listening area.

A Flash Flood Warning is in effect until 8:15 this morning for northwest La Salle County.  Rain is falling in some spots at an inch or two an hour.

An Urban and Small Stream Flood Advisory is in effect for all of La Salle County until 10:30 this morning while La Salle County and Bureau and Putnam Counties are under a Flood Watch thru the evening.

School Bus Accident In La Salle

Cell phones can be distracting and that can lead to crashes.  An accident after school yesterday sent a bus driver and a handful of students to the hospital. 

Police say Holly Witzack of Peru was distracted by a ringing cell phone and hit the bus.

Injuries were minor.  It happened on Route 6 as the bus was stopping to turn on to Mary Senica Drive.

No tickets have been issued.