Government : Board Of Supervisor Minutes for February 22, 2011

The Benton County Board of Supervisors met in regular adjourned session with Supervisors Buch and Vermedahl present. Supervisor Sanders was absent. Chairman Buch called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.

Supervisor Sanders arrived at 9:15 a.m.

The board discussed the plaque for the new law enforcement center. Moved by Sanders, seconded by Vermedahl, to direct the architect to list the following on the plaque: The title of the facility, sheriff’s logo, the date of completion (no roman numerals), the current board of supervisors, the sheriff, the architect, and the contractor. No subcontractors, engineering firms, or other persons involved in the project are to be listed. All members voting aye thereon. Motion carried.

Moved by Vermedahl, seconded by Sanders, to approve checks numbered 127190 through 127445, and ACH deposits numbered 10517 through 10622, for payment. All members voting aye thereon. Motion carried.

Moved by Vermedahl, seconded by Sanders, to acknowledge the receipt of the annual manure management plan filed by J & S Hogs, for the facility located at 7363 13th Avenue, Belle Plaine, Iowa. All members voting aye thereon. Motion carried.

The board continued their discussions on wages for non-union employees. Supervisor Vermedahl stated that a possibility would be to place an amount for salaries in each department’s budget for wages and leave it to the department head to set the wage. Barb Greenlee stated that by setting ranges, it provides guidance. Greenlee stated that she has been in her position for 25 years and is making less than persons with much less time and experience. Marc Greenlee stated that the treasurer was attempting to equalize salaries for the employees in her office through larger salary increases and Greenlee was also trying to equalize the salaries within his office. M. Greenlee also stated that the board has approved increases in staffing for other departments and he has not. County Attorney David Thompson stated that the office manager for the sanitarian should be compensated more at the rate of a first deputy. Thompson also stated that the sanitarian/land use administrator is intricately involved in regulatory and enforcement matters and deals with tremendous day-to-day pressure and should be compensated fairly for those responsibilities. Supervisor Buch stated that a precedent had been set with when the board approved with salaries of the secretaries in the county attorney’s office. Thompson stated that he would defend what his employees make in his office and that the board should base salaries on job duties, adding that his staff perform significantly different duties than persons in other offices. Thompson stated that it was an excuse to use what his office staff made as reasons for what employees in other offices should make. Thompson appreciated that Buch was open about the issue, but did not believe that his office staff should be the excuse used for other employees. B. Greenlee reiterated that she has been in her position for 25 years in comparison to other employees who make more than she with much less experience. Thompson stated that the discussion supported the need for salary ranges based on job position. Supervisor Vermedahl stated that there are inequities in salaries, and that some department heads are making the same as the office manager in the sanitarian’s office. Vermedahl stated that it is hard to compare jobs and that we seem to have two arguments - one argument is that we want salaries to be equitable between departments but then turn around and argue that the responsibilities are different and compensation should be based on job responsibilities. Thompson stated that $31,000 for a clerk’s position is not an exorbitant wage. The board appreciated the comments presented but stated that they were not ready to make a decision on this date.

Moved by Sanders, seconded by Vermedahl, to adopt Resolution #11-9, TRANSFER OF FUNDS. Voting aye were Buch, Vermedahl, and Sanders. Nays none. Motion carried.

Moved by Vermedahl, seconded by Sanders, to adopt Resolution #11-10, SERVICE AREA AMENDMENT. Voting aye were Buch, Sanders, and Vermedahl. Nays none. Motion carried.

Moved by Sanders, seconded by Vermedahl, to adopt Resolution #11-11, APPROVING HIRE OF GABE MCGOWAN. Voting aye were Buch, Vermedahl, and Sanders. Nays none. Motion carried.

The engineer spoke to the board about the per-capita rates for FY12. The engineer stated that he had compiled his FY12 budget based on the population that was known at the time. Parizek stated that now that the 2010 census figures are available, several clerks have contacted him as to whether the new population numbers would be used when calculating the landfill per-capita fees. Parizek stated that if the new census numbers were used there would be an overall increase for the cities of $16,560 and the rural would increase $580.00. The board checked with various cities that would be impacted with a significant increase. Those cities indicated that they were early enough in their budget process to incorporate the increase. Moved by Sanders, seconded by Vermedahl, to utilize the 2010 census figures for the per capita rate for FY12 landfill fees. All members voting aye thereon. Motion carried.

Moved by Sanders, seconded by Vermedahl, to approve the minutes of February 14, 2011. All members voting aye thereon. Motion carried.

Moved by Sanders, seconded by Vermedahl , to adjourn. All members voting aye thereon. Motion carried.

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Ronald R. Buch, Chairman

ATTEST: ___________________________________

Jill Marlow, Benton County Auditor