Iron County moves forward with wage and benefit study

By PAMELA JANSSON

pjansson@yourdailyglobe.com

Hurley — The Finance Committee of the Iron County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved $12,000 in tribal-related funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to be put toward a wage and benefit study for county employees.

Committee chairman Kurt Wolff said that the county now has used all ARPA funds that it received in relation to governmental allotments relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The committee also approved forwarding to the board the terms of the consulting, which Wolff said is tended to act as an informative guide, but not a directive, for the county.

Committee members then discussed whether the study, which already had been approved by the committee and the board in previous meetings, would be worth it.

A major concern was that such results could result with a homogenized view of employee wages, which Highway Commissioner Kasey Krall said could result with “one-offs,” in which the county feels obligated to withhold wage increases from a higher earning employee and/or adding income to a lower-wage worker.

After a discussion of the value of “step” increases, committee member Scott Erickson said that he has a problem with them because “in order to create steps, you have to take money away from someone in order to create them.”

Board Chairman Larry Youngs agreed that, in the real world, fairness does not necessarily equate to a generic application of wages.

Nevertheless, he said of the study, “I think it’s money well spent.”

Committee member Karl Krall said the county could result in facing a situation wherein only “half of the employees are going to be happy” with where their salary lands.

Kasey Krall warned that dissatisfied employees may opt to seek employment elsewhere.

Committee member Roxanne Lutgen said the study will address other important issues beyond wages. For instance, she said, county officials should ask whether long-term disability is a benefit that should be considered.

In other news, the committee also approved member Lutgen as a temporary administrative coordinator for the county, effective Jan. 1, 2025. The committee additionally approved transferring related budget funds from the county clerk to the general budget.

Lutgen, who abstained from both votes, said the goal is to decide where the county should go — whether part time or full time, or with a county coordinator, a county administrator, etc.

“I think we don’t know what we need yet,” said Youngs, adding that Lutgen is “fully qualified” for the role. “This way we can have a trial run.”

“I think it’s a great idea,” said committee member Karen Lauer.

The board also approved referring to the Iron County Board of Supervisors a revised copy of board rules, which Lutgen defined as “ground rules” for operation during meetings and organizational periods.

“The board rules have not been updated since 1994,” said Lutgen, adding that the Wisconsin Counties Association recently established a template to help with the process.

Committee members also:

— Approved policy allowing key county employees to consult with designated legal counsel as needed, even if outside of normal office hours. Such persons include the board chairman, county clerk, human services director, and any department head cleared by the board chairman.

— Approved referring to the Iron County Board of Supervisors a revised copy of board rules, which Lutgen defined as “ground rules” for operation during meetings and organizational periods.

— Approved forwarding to the board the draft of a revised employee handbook, contingent to final tweaks to be addressed.

— Approved moving Highway Department savings from the sale of two used trucks to a general money market with plans to make a long-term decision on investment by the first quarter of 2025. The highway commissioner said the goal is to buy a new truck in 2026.

— Approved $63,400 for the purchased of a used John Deere 330 P-Tier skid steer for the county Highway Department. The highway commissioner said the unit has new tracks that will contribute to its longevity.

— Approved adjusting budget lines in relation to the 2024 fiscal year budget. Wolff said the changes do not affect the budget total nor the levy.

The board also heard an explanation from Iron County District Attorney Matthew Tingstad regarding almost $11,000 in overtime billed by Lori Prenderville, victim witness coordinator. Tingstad said that Prenderville processes work relating to state criminal charges that are reduced to lower local charges and that ultimately lead to the county gaining more income than it loses via the overtime. Lauer suggested training other staff to relieve Prenderville from the extra hours.

With the exception of Lutgen’s abstentions, all votes were unanimous with all members present.

At the end of the meeting, the board entered a closed session to discuss employee evaluations.