HomeMy WebLinkAboutPersonnel Committee - Minutes - 7/7/2016Minutes of the
Bayfield County Personnel Committee Meeting
4:00 PM, July 7, 2016
Emergency Operations Center (EOC), Bayfield County Annex, Washburn, WI
Members Present: Brett Rondeau, Dennis Pocernich (via telephone), William Bussey, Harold
Maki
Members Excused: Rachel Coughtry
Others Present: County Administrator Mark Abeles-Allison, Kristine Kavajecz, Paul Houck,
Elizabeth Skulan, Nikki Revak, Kathy Wolfram,
Meeting called to order at 4:04 by Rondeau
Public Comment: None
Minutes of the June 2, 2016 Personnel Committee meeting: Motion Bussey, Maki to approve
minutes of the June 2, 2016 meeting. Motion carried. 4-0
Wage Study Appeals: Abeles-Allison reviewed the narrative that was provided with the meeting
packet. There were 6 positions that resulted in recommendations for wage adjustments following
the appeal process. Clerk III-UW Extension lower by 1 wage grade. Clerk III-Fair, Clerk I-DHS,
Forest Administrator, Forest Technician, Human Services Bookkeeper were all recommended to
be moved up one wage grade. Ten other positions submitted appeals, however, after reviewing
the appeals, did not result in any change to the wage grade.
Motion Bussey, Rondeau to approve the recommendation to move the Clerk III-Fair position up
one grade. Abeles-Allison provided detail on the factors that were modified in the appeal.
Motion Carried 4-0.
Clerk III-UW Extension was recommended by the consultant to lower the position one grade
after reviewing the appeal information. Motion Bussey, Maki to approve the recommendation to
move the Clerk III-UW Extension position down one grade. Motion Carried 4-0.
Clerk I-DHS was recommended by the consultant to move the Clerk I-DHS position up one
grade. Motion Bussey, Pocernich to approve the recommendation to move the Clerk I-DHS
position up one grade. Motion Carried 4-0.
Forest Administrator was recommended by the consultant to move the Forest Administrator
position up one grade. Motion Bussey, Maki to approve the recommendation to move the Forest
Administrator up one grade. Motion Carried 3-1.
Forest Technician was recommended by the consultant to move the Forest Technician position
up one grade. Motion Bussey, Maki to approve the recommendation to move the Forest
Technician up one grade. Motion Carried 3-1
Human Services Bookkeeper was recommended by the consultant to move the Human Services
Bookkeeper up one grade. Motion Bussey, Maki to approve the recommendation to move the
Human Services Bookkeeper up one grade. Motion Carried 4-0
Motion Maki, Bussey to make the wage adjustments retroactive to January 1, 2016. The
committee discussed whether the appeals should be retroactive. Motion Carried 4-0
Personnel manual; section review and updates, Section 2: Consensus of the committee is to
move this item up on the agenda since the Information Technology and Human Services Director
were both here for this topic.
Handout was provided by Paul Houck outlining proposed changes to the Computer Use Policy.
Houck discussed the topic of how to monitor/enforce use by contractors and Board Members. A
proposed addition to the policy clarifies that any new equipment purchases must be pre-approved
by the Information Technology Department to ensure compatibility with the county network and
infrastructure. Houck is also recommending the adoption of the Personal Mobile Device Policy.
Abeles-Allison and Houck will incorporate the recommended changes into the existing policy
and will bring it to the committee in the future as a final draft.
Elizabeth Skulan pointed out under the Travel Policy that Washburn is not always the
headquarters city for all employees and this may need to be modified in the policy. It was also
suggested that the policy clarify that fax machines may be used by employees to submit
VantageFlex claims. Suggestion was made to incorporate a gifts and gratuities policy.
Department Head Presentation: Paul Houck reported that 2 of 3 employees in his department
considered submitting a wage study appeal. The Department interacts with every department at
the county. Employees in the department sometimes feel underpaid in comparison with other IT
positions in the area that appear to have less responsibility. Scheduling in the summer can be a
challenge because of the amount of vacation all 3 employees have. When asked if he feels there
is an open door policy, Houck responded that he does not always feel that all concerns are heard
or acted on by management or the board, however, he takes that as those concerns are not the top
priority at the moment. Overall, he feels the county is a good place to work and his staff
appreciates the variety of technology they have the opportunity to work with. The committee
thanked Houck for his participation and input.
The committee asked Abeles-Allison to provide an update on previously identified personnel
issues at the next meeting.
Pocernich disconnected from the meeting at this time.
Motion Maki, Bussey to enter in and out of closed session pursuant to Wisconsin Statutes
§19.85(1)(c,e) for the purpose of
a. Approval of closed session minutes of June 2, 2016
b. Conduct other specified public business, whenever competitive or bargaining reasons
require a closed session, specifically to discuss strategy with regard to future collective
bargaining.
Motion carried. Entered closed session at 5:30pm.
Motion Bussey, Maki to return to open session. Motion carried. Entered open session at
5:44pm
Health Insurance: A summary of the county’s health insurance plans was reviewed.
Reports:
a. End of June payroll financial report: Expenses are about $100,000 more than this time
last year.
b. Health Insurance Summary, end of May 2016: 131% average utilization.
c. Current position openings / recent positions filled:
i. Filled UW Office Manager-Theresa LaChappelle
ii. Fair Clerk/UW Extension Clerk
iii. Social Worker
iv. PT Jailers
v. Social Worker Aide
vi. Economic Support Specialist-LTE
Future Agenda Items: Invite Teamsters to make a presentation about the Teamster Health Plan.
Meeting Adjourned at 6:00pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Kristine Kavajecz