Personnel and Finance Committees

Members present: Joan Fordham, Tommy Lee Bychinski, Tom Kriegl, William F. Wenzel, Marty Krueger, Scott Alexander, Peter Tollaksen, Tim Meister, Judith Stoeckmann

Others present: Kerry Beghin, Kathy Schauf, Carol Gasser, Michelle Koehler, Judi Briggs, Trish Vandre, Jeanne Leeck, Steve Koenig, Bill Orth, Dan Brattset, Lynn Horkan, Steve Pate, Lance Gurney, Captain Mike Hafemann, Bev Muhlenbeck, Cindy Bodendein, Bill Steinhorst, Randy Stammen, Chip Meister

Finance Committee Chairman Bychinski called the meeting to order at 8:15 a.m. Certification that the open meeting requirement was met. Motion by Tollaksen, second by Alexander to adopt the agenda. Motion carried. It was the consensus of the committee that Chairman Bychinski chair this joint committee.

2007 Budget Process - Consideration and discussion of new position and reclassification requests.

Kathy Schauf noted that the 2007 budget will likely allow the County to continue current operations, but there is not much room for new activities unless it can be demonstrated that there will be future savings elsewhere. This will be the year to do more with less.

Private industry is not considered comparable to Sauk County for job comparison purposes.

Commission on Aging:

• Reclassification Aging Benefits Paraprofessional (Benefits Specialist) - Duties have become increasingly complex for the two positions totaling 1.63 full-time equivalents. There would be no levy impact; increased costs would be funded through additional grant revenues.
• New Volunteer Project Developer (Project position-limited to 18 months) - To recruit additional volunteers.
• New Prevention Specialist (Project position-limited to 18 months)- Development of tool kits and participant base to help in health prevention activities. Programs would then be continued using volunteer help. Motion by Tollaksen to approve reclassifications and not new positions; motion subsequently withdrawn. Motion by Alexander, second by Wenzel to approve new project Volunteer Project Developer (WPPA Clerical grade 4) limited to no more than 18 months and new project Prevention Specialist (WPPA Clerical grade 4) limited to no more than 18 months. Finance: 3 aye, 2 nay. Personnel Committee: 2 aye, 2 nay. Fails due to a tie vote from the Personnel Committee. Motion by Tollaksen, second by Stoeckmann to approve Aging Benefits Paraprofessional reclassifications from WPPA Clerical grade 7 to WPPA Clerical grade 8. Finance: 4 aye, 1 opposed. Personnel: 4 aye, 0 nay.
  Motion carried.

County Clerk:

• Reclassification Deputy County Clerk - Due to increased duties and knowledge needed for statewide voter registration. Data entry is taking five times longer than originally anticipated. Costs to a great degree will be billed back to the municipalities that are using the County to do the database management.
• New Deputy County Clerk - Similar to reclassification request, this new position request is due to additional duties from statewide voter registration.

  Motion by Tollaksen, second by Fordham to approve new position at WPPA Clerical grade 3 but not approve reclassification. Finance: 3 aye, 2 nay. Personnel: 3 aye, 1 nay.
  Motion carried.

Health Care Center:

Reclassification Administrative Secretary - Position has assumed many of the volunteer coordinator duties, a position that will no longer be filled. More extensive data collection has been required by regulatory agencies in recent years. Position acts as secretarial assistance for all parts of the Health Care Center.

Motion by Meister, second by Alexander to approve reclassification from non-represented hourly grade 5 to non-represented hourly grade 6. Finance: 1 aye, 4 nay. Personnel: 1 aye, 3 nay.
Motion failed.

Human Services:

• Reclassification Administrative Support - Changed from simply clerical duties to financial duties for new children's waiver program.
• Reclassification Program Assistant - Increased responsibilities in Reedsburg records management function to equal responsibilities of Baraboo records position.
• Reclassification Community Support Training Specialist - Withdrawn.

  Motion by Alexander, second by Fordham to approve both reclassifications

• Administrative Support from WPPA Clerical grade 4 to WPPA Clerical grade 5 and Program Assistant from WPPA Clerical grade 2 to WPPA Clerical grade 3. Finance: 5 aye, 0 nay. Personnel: 4 aye, 0 nay. Motion carried.

• New Social Worker Community Access Program - Works with developmentally disabled clients. Had been a contracted position with Catholic Charities, but there had been considerable turnover in the people filling the position. Having the position on staff would likely provide more continuity of staff.
• New Psychotherapist - Community support Reedsburg masters level position. Allows severely developmentally disabled to remain in community. There were 83 clients in 1992 with 12.5 full-time equivalent staff supporting them, compared to 151 clients with 15 full-time equivalents in 2005. A masters level psychotherapist is more expensive than a bachelors level position, but generates considerably more reimbursement from the state.

  Motion by Wenzel, second by Fordham to approve new Social Worker in Community Access Program (UP grade 1) and Psychotherapist (UP grade 5). Finance: 4 aye, 1 nay. Personnel: 4 aye, 0 nay.
  Motion carried.

MIS:

Reclassification Computer Support Tech Coordinator - Position has changed from a helpdesk staff to a helpdesk coordinator. Duties have changed to include more analysis of trends in problem areas and recommendation of systems changes. Coordinates staff response to calls for assistance.

Motion by Krueger, second by Stoeckmann to approve reclassification from non-represented hourly grade 9 to non-represented hourly grade 10. Finance: 4 aye, 1 nay. Personnel: 3 aye, 1 nay.
Motion carried.

Parks:

Reclassification Assistant Parks Director - Would like to add duties to become closer to a park ranger, ability to write citations but not deal with problems so severe that law enforcement would need to be called. The maintenance duties currently being performed by this position would be shifted to summer seasonal help.

Motion by Krueger, second by Wenzel to approve reclassification from non-represented hourly grade 8 to non-represented exempt grade 12. Finance: 5 aye, 0 nay. Personnel: 4 aye, 0 nay.
Motion carried.

Planning and Zoning:

Reclassification of all positions in department - New state mandates include non-metallic mining permitting, Com 83 rules requiring monitoring of all septic systems, comprehensive planning, and floodplain and shoreland zoning ordinance requirements increased. Other county initiatives include GPS marking of fire numbers, Badger Army Ammunition Plant disposition participation, Tri-County Airport ordinance update, and tower siting ordinance. Board of Adjustment activities are more thorough to help avoid litigation.

Motion by Tollaksen, second by Wenzel to approve all reclassifications except Administrator and Assistant Administrator. Motion withdrawn. Motion by Meister, second by Alexander to not approve any of the Planning & Zoning requests. Motion by Kriegl, second by Alexander to amend the motion from denying all reclassification requests to denying all reclassification requests except the two clerical reclassifications. Finance: 2 aye, 3 nay. Personnel: 3 aye, 1 nay. Motion to amend failed. Original motion to deny all requests- Finance: 4 aye, 1 nay. Personnel: 4 aye, 0 nay.
Motion carried.

Public Health:

Reclassification Home Care Supervisor - Change to reflect deputy director duties, with reporting of divisions being made to the deputy director. As Health departments are called upon to be more active in terrorism preparedness, duties have increased.

Motion by Stoeckmann, second by Fordham to approve reclassification from non-represented exempt grade 14 to non-represented exempt grade 19. Finance: 5 aye, 0 nay. Personnel: 4 aye, 0 nay.
Motion carried.

Solid Waste:

Reclassification Solid Waste Manager - Reduce from full-time to half-time since the closure of landfill operations. The Environmental Resources Committee is considering future operation possibilities, and there may be further changes to the position in the future pending committee investigation. Daily monitoring of gas wells and microturbines must continue.

Motion by Tollaksen, second by Alexander to reduce position to half time. Finance: 5 aye, 0 nay. Personnel: 4 aye, 0 nay.
Motion carried.

Sheriff's Department:

New Court Security Deputy - Currently three branches of circuit court and the court commissioner being covered by three court security staff. Coverage of the court commissioner is only 20 percent of the need, which is particularly troublesome since family court has a high potential for danger. Court security is short-staffed when taking into account vacations or other paid leaves, or when inmates are in the building awaiting trial. Use of the area currently being remodeled for holding cells may be available if there are enough people in custody to merit staffing the holding area. Bailiffs are responsible for court check-in and jury activities, no security.

Motion by Fordham, second by Meister to approve new position at WPPA grade 5. Finance: 4 aye, 1 nay. Personnel: 3 aye, 1 nay.
Motion carried.

Motion by Krueger, second by Tollaksen to adjourn.
Motion carried.