Board of Supervisors approve pay raise for county employees
During their meeting on Tuesday morning, the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to approve a new pay raise structure for county employees. Under the new plan, all full-time employees will receive a flat raise of $2,750, instead of a percentage rate increase currently used.
The change in payment came after a meeting between the board, elected officials, and county department heads, during discussions over salary increases for fiscal year 2026-27. Board members and department heads expressed concerns about helping the county’s lowest-paid employees, and suggested a flat raise instead of a percentage raise to “reduce the gap” between employees.
The Supervisors debated the proposed change for over an hour on Tuesday. Initially, the rate considered was between $3,000 and $3,500, but the final number agreed was set at $2,750. Supervisors Don Kass, Mike Van Otterloo, and Doug Manley voted for the proposal, while supervisors John Meis and Craig Anderson voted against. Van Otterloo made the motion and pushed for a higher amount, while Meis proposed a 3% raise for each department and letting department heads decide on raises.
In addition, the Board approved a $10,000 raise for IT director Shawn Olsen and IT assistant Cole Beitelspacher, in order to match what other IT professionals in similarly-sized counties in Iowa make. All full-time employees will receive a $2,750 raise next fiscal year; hourly employees will receive a $1.32/hour raise. The proposal won’t apply to employees represented by bargaining units.
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Arrest warrants to be issued for suspects in burglary of Lyon County Courthouse
Authorities are continuing to investigate the burglary and vandalism of the Lyon County Courthouse that occurred early Wednesday morning. Carson Schubert reports.
(Story via Radio Iowa)
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Northwest Iowa Genealogical Society holds annual Christmas meeting tomorrow
The annual Christmas meeting of the Northwest Iowa Genealogical Society will take place tomorrow afternoon at the Plymouth County Historical Museum.
Attendees will be invited to share precious or poignant memories of Christmas Eve during the meeting. Homemade holiday goodies, including cookies, bars, and dips, will be available for those in attendance. The festive sharing will take place following a brief business meeting conducted by society president Iris Hemmingson.
The public is invited to attend the event with no charge for admission. The meeting itself will take place tomorrow at 1:30pm in the gymnasium lobby of the Plymouth County Historical Museum.
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Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office warns residents of check fraud
The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office would like to make residents aware of a recent rise in check fraud by mail theft.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, check fraud occurs when fraudsters gain access to legitimate checks and sensitive financial data by stealing mailed checks from Postal Service facilities or during delivery to the intended recipient.
Some tips to protect your mail include picking up your mail promptly after delivery, contacting the sender if you don’t receive a check or other valuable mail, and to use security envelopes to conceal the contents of your mail. Tips to protect checks include using indelible black ink to make it more difficult for criminals to wash checks, use checks with security features to limit the effectiveness of check washing, and to not leave blank spaces in the payee or amount lines.
If you believe you are the victim of mail-related check fraud, contact your local police and the United States Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455.
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