Freeport (WREX) — Stevenson County Commissioner Denies CNA Salary Increase at Walnut Acres.
A 10-11 vote against the move will take place one week after the Nursing Center Board approves the increase. Depending on his experience, the move would give him a salary increase of between $1.50 and $6.50.
The county will receive about 70% of its pay raises from the state.
Director Scott Helms, who is also a member of the Nursing Center Board, says the vote was about whether they had the money to pay the bills.
“Before you spend more money, pay what we have and what we have to do first. I don’t see how that’s a foreign concept.” Hmm,” said Helms.
The move has fueled speculation about the future of Stevenson County Nursing Center.
In August, the Stevenson County Board approved a loan to maintain Walnut Acres, but the nursing home had to pay $95,000 a month from September through December.
Board member Samuel Newton said the board has not done all it can to bring Walnut Acres under county ownership.
“We keep talking about selling it, but not making it viable,” Newton says. I wanted to find another way to do it, that’s fine, there are 1.6 million people sitting there, give some of it to a nursing home so they can stop it, begging Peter to pay Paul do.”
The new move to sell isn’t the first time the board has put the house up for sale.
The process effectively ended after three months, with the sole consent to purchase the home withdrawn by the potential buyer.
The Stevenson County Nursing Center Board’s next meeting is November 3, but the entire board is not scheduled to meet again until the November 22 county budget announcement.
