The Starke County Council and Commissioners will discuss a new, federally-mandated overtime policy for county employees during their respective meetings tonight. The Fair Labor Standards Act takes effect Dec. 1. It requires overtime payments to salaried employees who make less than $47,500 a year and work more than 40 hours per week. The new law changes the “exempt” status of lower-wage employees. County attorney Marty Lucas will outline options to deal with this change during the council meeting, with a formal policy approval to follow when the commissioners meet.
The council will also consider a few year-end budget transfer requests from the county highway department and circuit court and will entertain a request from Starke County Clerk Vicki Cooley to raise the election clerk’s wages. They will also get a status update on the county inkeeper’s tax and convention and visitor’s center board during their 5:30 p.m. meeting.
The commissioners meeting agenda includes the 2017 health insurance renewal, bid openings for two county bridge projects and county handbook proposals from the highway department.
The commissioners will also set a tax certificate sale for Feb. 17, 2017, discuss the bidding and CAFO ordinances, renewal of the 2017 inmate medical policy and upcoming annual appointments to various county boards. Their meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at the annex building.
