Effingham County Board approves consent agenda, employee stipends, small contracts and budget layover

Effingham County Board members approved a multi-item consent agenda during their October regular meeting, including grant disbursements, small capital repairs and changes to employee stipend payments. The board also approved a separate motion to provide a county Christmas luncheon and $25 gift certificates to eligible employees.

The consent agenda passed on a motion from Jeremy Daters, seconded by Tim Ellis, after the board removed the Christmas-luncheon item for separate consideration. Among items approved as part of the consent package were an $18,000 opioid-related disbursement to the county health department/Family Resource Center, an intergovernmental maintenance agreement for a portion of County Highway 19 (Green Street) with the Village at Toplis, a bridge aid petition for West Township, and authorization to proceed with emergency roof repairs on the historic courthouse using contingency funds.

The board also approved a stipend structure for employees: a monthly stipend up to $1,000 to cover premiums for county group health coverage enrollees and a one-time $1,700 deposit to enrolled employees' health savings accounts. The board approved a proposed fiscal year 2026 budget for…