HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinance 04-27-1999
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ST. CROIX COUNTY
NOTICE OF COMMITTEE MEETING
TO: Chairman Thomas Dorsey
St. Croix County Board
FROM: Don Brown, Chair
COMMITTEE TITLE: Finance
DATE: April 27, 1999
TIME: 8:30 A.M.
LOCATION: St. Croix County Government Center
CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
ADOPTION OF AGENDA
DATE OF NEXT MEETING:
ACTION ON PREVIOUS MINUTES
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
NEW BUSINESS:
1. Finance Director
A. Health Insurance Deposit Rates
2. Clerk of Court
A. Office Manager Position
*3. Permission for John Krizek to Sign COPS Grant Application
ANNOUNCEMENTS & CORRESPONDENCE
POSSIBLE AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING:
ADJOURNMENT
(Agenda not necessarily presented in this order)
SUBMITTED BY: Don Brown
DATE: April 21, 1999
COPIES TO: County Clerk
News Media/Notice Board
Committee Members
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ST. CROIX COUNTY
NOTICE OF COMMITTEE MEETING
TO: Chairman Thomas Dorsey
St. Croix County Board
FROM: Don Brown, Chair
COMMITTEE TITLE: Finance
DATE: April 27, 1999
TIME: 8:30 A.M.
LOCATION: St. Croix County Government Center
CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
ADOPTION OF AGENDA
DATE OF NEXT MEETING:
ACTION ON PREVIOUS MINUTES
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
NEW BUSINESS:
1. Finance Director
A. Health Insurance Deposit Rates
2. Clerk of Court
A. Office Manager Position
ANNOUNCEMENTS & CORRESPONDENCE
POSSIBLE AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING:
ADJOURNMENT
(Agenda not necessarily presented in this order)
SUBMITTED BY: Don Brown
DATE: April 21, 1999
COPIES TO: County Clerk
News Media/Notice Board
Committee Members
FINANCE MEETING
Special Meeting April 27, 1999
Meeting called to order by Chair Brown at 8:35 a.m. Members
present: Don Brown, Tom Dorsey, Robert Boche, Herb Giese and Tom
O'Connell. Staff present: Administrative Coordinator John Krizek,
Finance Director Rich Loney, Corporation Counsel Greg Timmerman
and County Clerk Sue Nelson. Others present: Suprs. Julie Speer
and Mary Louise Olson and Judy Wiff, media.
Motion by Giese, 2nd by Boche to adopt the agenda. Next meeting
scheduled for May 10, 8:30 a.m. Minutes will be approved at May
meeting.
COPS Grant Application: Sheriff Dennis Hillstead, Chief Deputy Ron
Volkert and Patrol Captain Bob Klanderman present. Krizek
explained the COPS grant funds officers for three years (75% for
first year, 50o the second year and 25% the third) and then they
become all County paid positions. The County received three
officers in 1996. This application is an intent to file a request
later.
Sheriff Hillstead said a $94,500 grant had been received recently
from the Governor's office for dealing with the meth problem. He
indicated normal procedures will be followed for the investigator
request to make it a permanent position next January. Hillstead
intends to request three more officers from the COPS program
because we should not be catching up on problems but rather doing
some prevention now. This is a growing county and more law
enforcement is needed.
Patrol Captain Klanderman noted we are 60 calls ahead of last year.
Motion by O'Connell, 2nd by Dorsey to approve John Krizek's signing
of the COPS grant application. Carried.
Clerk of Court Office Manager Position: Lori Meyer Frascht,
District Court Administrator Gregg Moore, staff members from Clerk
of Court and Personnel Director Deb Kathan present.
Corporation Counsel Timmerman said a closed session is justified
when an individual's job performance is being discussed; general
discussion of a position is held in open session.
Chair Brown said two items need to be addressed: do we want to
continue the position of office manager and how to fill the
position.
Dorsey noted a correction in booklet prepared by Clerk of Court on
page 3 which should read both Eileen Graham and Dorsey disagreed on
candidate following the interviews.
Organizational charts were reviewed showing the office manager
model instituted in 1991 and the traditional model including the
lst deputy prior to 1991. The 19 county comparable page showed
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many counties have a deputy Clerk of Court, however, many of these
are non union.
Krizek said the office manager position is similar to the Chief
Deputy in Sheriff's department. The position is there no matter
who is Clerk of Court or Sheriff. Court cases in Crawford and Eau
Claire County determined that the Clerk of Court has control of
this person and Finance and County Board have no say. We do not
have the problems with financial matters in that office that we had
in 1991 when Finance and County Board approved an office manager
position.
Discussion on office manager's hiring and firing of employees.
Personnel Director Kathan said the Chief Deputy in the Sheriff's
Dept. sits in on interviews and selection but the Sheriff makes the
selection. This position does not have the authority to fire.
Gregg Moore said no office managers, deputy clerks or
administrative assistants in this judicial district can hire and
fire; that is left to the Clerk of Court. They do deal with many
other phases of a management position.
Krizek said the lst deputy position remains open and the committee
needs to weigh the merits of both positions. Kathan explained the
position title remains open but has been filled with a Court Clerk.
Currently there is no lst deputy because the office manager took
over those duties.
Dorsey said the reason the position was created does not exist
today and no longer answers to the Finance Committee. The lst
deputy can perform the duties as well. Dorsey recommends
eliminating the office manager position.
Meyer Frascht noted this position has much more responsibility than
a lst deputy ever would and a supervisory, non union position is
needed. The review of the position should be done by the Personnel
Committee.
Chair Brown questioned if the office manager job description is the
same as the Clerk of Court duties. Meyer Frascht replied she
cannot do it all; it is too big an office and there are three
branches of court.
Gregg Moore referred to the letter of 10th Judicial Judge Peterson
who stated in his opinion an office manager would be appropriate.
Moore said a study of this County's Clerk of Court office in the
1986-87 recommended a full time permanent administrative assistant.
Moore said in the best interest of the Court and County, he
recommends a management position.
Motion by Dorsey, 2nd by Giese to authorize the filling of the
First Deputy position in the Clerk of Court Office and to deny the
filling of the Office Manager position in the Clerk of Court
Office. Furthermore, to authorize the appropriate transfer of
funds in the 1999 Clerk of Court's budget from the Office Manager
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position to the First Deputy position.
Giese commented corporate business is different from Government.
He appreciates the amount of pressures and things accomplished in
the Clerk of Court office. Considering the responsibilities of the
position, it would be difficult to place a Union person in this
position.
Motion by Boche to amend the motion by adding "and all other
offices that have an office manager" after the Clerk of Court
office. No second; motion died.
Motion by Boche to postpone indefinitely the previous motion. No
second; motion died.
Kathan advised the job title does not indicate if a position is in
or out of the Union; the job description does.
Chair Brown said the motion does not remove the office manager
position and it could be filled at a later time. With the upcoming
changes in Child Support receipting, personnel in that division of
Clerk of Court should be reduced. Kathan said this person could be
assigned different duties when Child Support duties transfer.
Discussion on the Personnel Handbook and interview process.
Roll call on the Dorsey/Giese motion: Giese, yes; O'Connell, yes;
Dorsey, yes; Boche, no; Brown, yes. Boche withdrew his no vote and
changed his vote to yes before Chair Brown announced the vote
results. Motion adopted unanimously.
Giese suggested Timmerman, Krizek, Kathan and Meyer Frascht meet to
develop a job description and bring this to the May 10th meeting.
Chair Brown concurred.
Health Insurance Deposit Rates: Loney distributed information on
the state of the self-funded county health insurance operations.
Expenses in 1998 exceeded fund revenue by over $500,000 and this
more than exhausted the balance in the fund. He asked the
Committee to consider a mid-year premium adjustment at the May 10th
meeting.
Motion by Boche to move reconsideration of Clerk of Court motion.
No second; motion died.
Motion by O'Connell, 2nd by Giese to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at
1120/12h. m.
I.IW
Thomas O'Connell, Secretary
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