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Mercer Co freezes hiring of staff paid from general fund
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By Pam Berenger, correspondent@qconline.com
By Pam Berenger, correspondent@qconline.com
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New employees whose salaries are paid out of Mercer County's general fund will have to be approved by the county board. After a lengthy discussion on the legality of instituting a hiring freeze in all departments, county board members on Tuesday approved a freeze but limited it to those staff members who would be paid from the general fund, including those at the sheriff's department and court house. The health department and highway department are exempt from the hiring freeze because workers are paid out of different funds, and both are self-sufficient. In other personnel matters, the board tabled a request from Mercer County Animal Control officer Chris Brewer to increase the hours of Gayle Pont. According to Ms. Brewer, Ms. Pont handles licenses and fines during her 25-hour week. Increasing her hours would allow Ms. Pont to increase the time she spends bringing in outstanding revenue. Ms. Brewer also noted her department is self-sufficient, and all wages are paid out of the Animal Control Fund. While board members agreed additional work hours could bring in additional money, the increase would not offset the cost of converting Ms. Pont's position to full time because of the $1,400 additional monthly insurance cost. Looking at other ways to cut costs, the board discussed options on refinancing the jail. The current interest rate on the 20-year note is 4 percent. Board members Larry Stone and Ted Pappas said bankers had told them the rate could be lowered to 2.7 percent on a 30-year note. Board members agreed the idea would be passed along to the county's Public Building Commission. 
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Today is Tuesday, May 21, the 141st day of 2013. There are 224 days left in the year.
1863 -- 150 years ago: On Monday the 11th inst. on Center Ridge in Mercer County,some citizens got out their cannon to celebrate the taking of Richmond. The gun wasoverloaded and burst. No one was injured, but one 30-pound piece went though thesecond story of a house.
1888 -- 125 years ago: The old folks concert at the Harper Theater last night to benefit St.Luke's Cottage Hospital, attracted a large audience.
1913 -- 100 years ago: Unless depredation by vandals in Rock Island parks is halted,special policemen will be assigned to night duty to protect the flowers and other property.
1938 -- 75 years ago: Station WHBF has received a special citation from Washington forits participation in Air Mail Week, which was observed this week throughout the nation.
1963 -- 50 years ago: A 10-year high in employment in the Quad-City area was reachedat the end of the last quarter, according to an industrial employment barometer releasedtoday.
1988 -- 25 years ago: Pee Wee teams will be able to play baseball and softball as usualon Diamond Three at Dorrance Park this summer, but after that, the ball field is doomed.County crews have put the diamond back in shape after heavy trucks marred the playingfield earlier this spring. Illinois Department of Transportation crews drove onto it to makeborings for the relocation of the junction of Illinois 84 and the Port Byron-Hillsdale road.
(More History)