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County employees receive raises

NEW CUMBERLAND – Hancock County commissioners on Thursday gave raises to several employees in the tax office and the sheriff’s department.

The raises of $100 a month for five employees were made possible by a reorganization recommended by Hancock County Sheriff Ralph Fletcher.

The sheriff’s department recently filled a vacancy for a records clerk by hiring one of the tax deputies, Fletcher said. The vacancy was created when former records clerk Beth Vaughan took the position of administrative assistant.

Rather than make the records clerk a full-time position, Fletcher said he decided to make that person a “floater” who also would work in the tax office. The raises will come from a portion of the salary saved by not filling the tax office vacancy, he said.

What’s more, the raises will rectify an inequity in the base pay of the tax office staff, the records clerk and the sheriff’s department receptionist – compared to other clerk jobs in the courthouse, Fletcher said.

Also Thursday, commissioners:

* Agreed to solicit construction bids for the renovation of the 1968 courthouse annex roof. The project entails replacing the roof, insulation and coping on the annex.

Funding will come from a $97,600 grant from the West Virginia Courthouse Facilities Improvement Authority and a 20 percent match from commissioners.

Project architects are LBRA Architecture of Weirton. Work is expected to be done sometime this fall.

* Accepted the resignation of Gus “Chuck” Svokas as staff member for the Hancock County Abandoned Building Ordinance Committee. Svokas retired in 2012 as county economic development coordinator but stayed on as a paid consultant to work with the committee.

Commissioners tabled action on finding Svokas’ replacement, who would be responsible for duties such as taking committee meeting minutes, investigating abandoned building complaints and researching courthouse records.

* Approved a request for Special Projects Fund money to replace the Hancock County Dog Warden vehicle, which recently was totaled in an accident. The county has a quote from Hancock County Chrysler for a 2014 Dodge Ram cargo van, which has ample space for cages and tools, said Robert Vidas, executive director of the county’s Office of Technology and Communications.

* Authorized Vidas to advertise the sale of an “extensive list” of county-owned vehicles. Vidas will set minimum values on the vehicles and advertise them for sale either through closed bids or public auction, depending on the value.

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