March 29, 2024

Supervisors approve pay raise for election officials

There’s good news for all those hard-working election officials who put in long hours each election day. They’ll be getting a raise.

The Jasper County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution to increase the pay for election officials from minimum wage of $7.25 per hour to $10 per hour, and for the precinct election chairpersons from $7.75 per hour to $10.50 per hour.

“They often spend 16 hours per day at the polls on election day,” Jasper County Auditor Dennis Parrott said. “It’s a big job.”

“It’s not an easy job at all, and I think it’s time they got a raise,” said supervisor Denny Carpenter.

The resolution cited the significant increase in responsibilities and duties of precinct election workers over the years as justification for the pay increase.

In other action Tuesday, the supervisors:

• Approved a request from Bob O’Brien for use of the Jasper County Courthouse lawn for Bike Nights during 2013, O’Brien said the events would be held the second Friday of each month for May through September.

“This year’s events were very successful,” O’Brien said. “They were doing what they were supposed to be doing, bringing in bikers from every state bordering Iowa.”

• Approved a Jasper County Sheriff’s Office 28E agreement with the Iowa Alcoholic Beverage Division for tobacco enforcement and compliance checks on area businesses.

• Approved the transfer of a 2003 Chevrolet 1500 crew cab pick-up truck from the Secondary Roads Department to the Jasper County Board of Supervisors for $10,000, for use by the Planning and Zoning Department and other county departments as needed.

John Jennings can be contacted at (641) 792-3121, extension 425, or by email at jjennings@newtondailynews.com.