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ST. CROIX COUNTY
NOTICE OF COMMITTEE MEETING
TO: Tom Dorsey, St. Croix County Board Chairman
FROM: Gerald Peterson, Personnel Committee Chairman
COMMITTEE TITLE: Personnel
DATE: November 21, 2001
TIME: 9 a.m.
LOCATION: Government Center, Hudson
CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA
ACTION ON PREVIOUS MINUTES from October 16, 2001
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
Update on negotiations
Personnel Handbook review
Performance Evaluations
NEW BUSINESS:
Health Insurance review with Mike Theilen, Preferred One
Deferred Compensation options for Employees
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND CORRESPONDENCE
POSSIBLE AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING
ADJOURNMENT
NOTE THAT THE AGENDA ITEMS ARE NOT NECESSARILY PRESENTED IN
THIS ORDER.
SUBMITTED BY: Debra Kathan, Personnel Director
DATE: October 30, 2001, Rev. November 14, 2001
COPIES TO: County Board Office, County Clerk, News Media, Notice Board,
Committee Members
PERSONNEL COMMITTEE MEETING
Date: November 21, 2001 Location: Government Center, Hudson
The Personnel Committee meeting was called to order at 9 a.m. by Chairman
Gerald Peterson. Committee members present: Peterson, Art Jacobson, Mary Louise
Olson, and Julie Speer. Absent was Committee member Ralph Swenson. Also present:
Debra Kathan and Preferred One Sales Manager Mike Thielen.
Moved (Olson, Speer) and approved to adopt the agenda as presented. Moved
(Speer, Jacobson) and approved to accept the minutes of the October 16 meeting with the
correction of next meeting date to 'November 21 ".
Thielen was asked to comment on the County's health insurance and current
industry issues regarding costs. He noted that more companies are putting the onus for
increased health insurance costs on the employee with trending upward to as high as 20%
annual increases. He noted the need to continue emphasizing the smart use of health
insurance to minimize costs. The trend in prescription drugs is to go with an 80 -20
payment plan or a larger up -front deductible to $500.
He anticipated an increased savings in direct care costs when using the Preferred
One network because of 6.4% savings from the deeper discounted HMO providers. The
County gets the deeper of the two discounts —PPO or HMO —when an employee goes to
a provider who offers both plans. Administrative services were anticipated to be
$154,000 less with Preferred One (as compared to Humana projections). Thielen
volunteered to return to the Committee at a later date with updated information.
The next Committee meeting was set for 9 a.m. on December 19, at which time
the members would participate in the arbitration hearing for the Human Services
Professional Union (social workers). The Committee reviewed the updated Personnel
Handbook. It was noted that modified language permitted supervising committees more
freedom in budgeting for temporary help positions. Moved (Jacobson, Olson) and
approved to accept the updated Personnel Handbook. Kathan noted that it would be
placed on the intranet for employee reference.
The Committee wants to pursue the issue of performance evaluations as a next
major project. They want to review the process and the instrument that is used. Kathan
noted that an employee committee is being formed to respond to and evaluate issues of
performance. Discussion regarding the addition of the Roth IRA as a payroll deduction
option under the Deferred Compensation (457) programs offered by the County. Moved
(Olson, Jacobson) and approved to permit the introduction of the Roth IRA payroll
deduction.
The Committee requested that the Administrative Coordinator update them at the
next meeting on the progress of the county -wide personnel/ job description study and the
purchase of consultant services.
Kathan noted that the department's budgets were over in two major areas. The
Recruitment budget was projected to come in at $12,000 with additional recruitment
necessary for several specialized positions such as Emergency Communications Director,
Child Support Administrator, and female jailer. The Professional Services budget was
projected at nearly $18,000 with unanticipated costs for PTO analysis dating back to
1999, the arbitration of the HS- Professional Union contract, and grievances going to
hearing. Both budgets were modified in September to reflect increasing costs for the
year 2002.
Kathan noted that the tentative date for the Employee Recognition Banquet was
set for December 13 at 6:30 at Gethsemane Church fellowship hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Louise Olson
Secretary