The DeWitt County Board recently established their compensation rates for Board members, the Circuit Clerk, and Coroner.

DeWitt County Board Chair Melonie Tilley explains the Board must set the rates for the various offices prior to the election. The County Coroner will start with a salary of just under $17-thousand and have an annual increase of around 3-percent.

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The Circuit Clerk's pay works a little differently. According to Tilley, the Board does set the salary for the next four years. However, the County Board has started trying to keep the salary of the Circuit Clerk, County Treasurer, and County Clerk in alignment with each other. Tilley notes because the County Clerk and Treasurer are elected on different years, the next two years the Circuit Clerk will be paid what the County Clerk and Treasurer are paid.

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Some changes will be made to the way County Board members are compensated. Finance Committee Chair Ed Young explains the Committee has decided to do away with providing hospital insurance to Board members. He said it is because board members are not full time employees.

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If County Board now wants the hospital insurance, they will have to pay for it.

Every ten years, the County Board sets compensation rates for the next ten years, which will be when the full Board is up for re-election again. For the next year 10 years, County Board members will receive $71 a meeting and will receive a 3% increase around every third year. County Board members will also receive mileage set at 25-cents a mile.