Iron County works toward wage and benefit study

By PAMELA JANSSON

pjansson@yourdailyglobe.com

Hurley — Finance Committee members of the Iron County Board of Supervisors decided on Tuesday to schedule a special meeting at the start of January to discuss parameters of a wage and benefit study of county employees.

Committee chairman Kurt Wolff suggested two points of consideration in relation to Wisconsin’s total 72 counties: Which of them warrant comparison and by what means?

“I think Ashland, for sure,” said Karen Lauer, adding that other neighboring counties also deserve consideration.

“I think Price, Florence and Forest, for sure,” said Scott Erickson.

Karl Krall suggested Bayfield County as well, in part because it’s nearby and also because “they have a lot of seasonal people.”

“What about Gogebic County?” asked Erickson. “That’s who we all compete with jobs for.”

Board chairman Larry Youngs agreed it was a good idea.

Wolff said he has not talked with prospective consultants about going outside of state lines in relation to the pending wage and benefit study. “I don’t know how that works,” he said.

Eric Peterson, the county’s forest administrator, said if there is interest in some bordering counties, then probably all of them deserve attention.

Wolff advised setting the extra meeting in January to specify the study’s approach.

He added that 55 county job descriptions are now in hand but said some positions may be combined.

In other news, committee members also approved an updated job description for the position of highway commissioner.

Wolff also updated the committee on the status of the county’s special revenue funds and debt levy.

He explained that, when a county borrows money, it has 20 years to repay the loan or it no longer can be classified as debt levy. Instead, he said the debt then must be paid off with the general fund.

Wolff said the county needs to decide upon appropriate working capital targets. He said extra working capital funds ought to be used to pay off loans, etc. and suggested that all of the county’s investments should be made through the treasurer’s office.

In relation to other financial matters, Wolff also suggested that credit card bills and check payments that now are reported from one meeting to the next would be better reported in discrete monthly units.

Roxanne Lutgen also said that county budgets should be centralized.

County clerk Christan Brandt said the county could accommodate both of those changes.