Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By P.J. GLISSON
Hurley — The Finance Committee of the Iron County Board of Supervisors voted last week to forward an issue regarding the compensation of elected county officials back to the board.
The action followed a discussion relating to a Feb. 27 board meeting, during which members voted to approve a resolution regarding the salaries of Interim Clerk Christan Brandt, Treasurer Clara Maki and Register of Deeds Daniel Soine for the next four years.
The resolution states that those employees now will receive the same percentage of raise that other county employees receive at the start of each year.
The Feb. 27 vote also included the granting of compensation for wages lost due to elected officials not having been included in the same percentage of wage hikes as other county employees received in recent years.
During the March 14 meeting, Finance Committee member Kurt Wolff said that county employees received the following respective hourly raises in the years 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024: 50 cents, 40 cents, $1.25 and $1.00, for a sum total of $3.15.
By contrast, he said the county’s elected officials received a sum total of $1.00 over the same four-year period. Hence, he said that other county employees received a sum total of $2.15 per hour more in raises than elected officials over the same period of time.
Wolff explained that the board’s Feb. 27 vote resulted in what would amount to a $4.20 increase for the hourly wage of the county’s elected officials.
Committee member Larry Youngs said, although he voted for the increase, he misunderstood the terms of the action. Other committee members also voiced confusion.
Brandt explained that the hike for elected officials had been intended to compensate, not only for the difference in the wage hikes, but also for the cumulative loss that elected officials experienced by not having received the same percentage of wage increases as other county employees did.
Moreover, she said that elected officials in Iron County make less than other workers in comparable positions around the state.
Even so, she said the intention was not for Iron County’s elected officials to raise their rates to that of other state employees.
“We’re just looking to be brought up to where people in the county are,” said the interim clerk.
Maki added that the lower wage increases for elected officials result in them reaching the point where their deputy-level associates may out-earn them.
Committee Chairman Scott Erickson said any further action should be held until the matter is discussed with the board as a whole. Hence, committee member Karen Lauer made the motion to refer the matter to the board, and Youngs seconded it.
In other news, the committee also voted to authorize Lauer to work with Brandt on rewording the employee handbook in relation to a section regarding vacation time taken by new employees.
Brandt said the policy now states that employees are eligible to take vacation days directly after they are hired. She added that some employees have done so and then left the job.
Lauer said that, once she and Brandt rephrase that section of the hand book, they will bring the matter back to the committee.
Committee members also:
—Voted to table action on issues relating to custodial employment hiring.
—Voted to table action regarding drain repair at a county Highway Department shop.
All votes were unanimous with all members present.
The meeting ended with a closed session, after which no action was taken.
The next regular meeting of the Finance Committee will be on April 11 at 10:30 a.m.
The Iron County Board of Supervisors, which acts on recommendations from the Finance Committee, will meet on March 26 at 6 p.m. in the board room of the Iron County Courthouse.
