ST. JOSEPH — The Berrien County Board of Commissioners approved a 1 percent pay increase for appointed officials and non-unionized employees at its Thursday meeting.

The board did not authorize a pay increase for those two employee groups in 2009 or 2010.

The increased costs will be paid by the departments the employees belong to and the contingency fund at the end of the year, if necessary.

Other business at the meeting included:

• The board approved the hiring of Donna Howard for the corporate counsel position. She is an attorney at Straub, Seaman & Allen in St. Joseph. Her annual salary will be $89,275, and she begins Jan. 4.

• Berrien County residents will again be able to dispose of household hazardous waste in Kalamazoo County at its household hazardous waste center. The board approved an agreement contracting with Kalamazoo County for the 12th straight year. The cost will be up to $1,500, which will come from the Berrien County Landfill Use Fund.

• The board accepted a $30,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Community Health to support the Berrien County Health Department’s Health Disparity Reduction Project. The project is aimed at ending the racial disparity in infant mortality in the county.