April 20, 2023

082
COMMISSIONERS’ PROCEEDINGS
April 20, 2023
Commissioners Scott Miller, Scott Blain, and Bill Bullock; and Administrative Officer Angela Newell were present.
8:30 Pledge of Allegiance.
9:24 Disaster and Emergency Services (DES) Coordinator Cyrina Allen met with Commissioners to discuss Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and backup EOC designations. Discussed the historic purchase of a generator at the Fairgrounds for EOC purposes; discussion about moving generator to primary location if that does not change. Allen would like to designate the Personal Services Building Conference Room as the primary EOC location because of the proximity to her office; this way EOC needs will have precedence over the frequently used space. Bullock moved to designate the conference room at the Personal Services Building as the primary EOC and the location at the Fairgrounds as the alternate EOC; Blain seconded; motion carried.
Allen provided a debris removal update. The contractor started earlier this week in Roscoe. They should begin working on the area around the 19th Street Bridge in Red Lodge starting today. Allen noted an issue that came up at one of the Roscoe sites with EHP; tipi rings were discovered at one of the access points; no data indicates they are historic tipi rings.

Discussed Philips Gravel crushing contract terms with Roly’s Construction; Agreement and addendum were signed.

10:00 County Attorney Alex Nixon, Contract County Attorney Jacque Papez, and Election Administrator Crystal Roascio met with Commissioners. Bullock moved to close meeting for litigation strategy discussion on Bennett case; Blain seconded; motion carried.
10:36 Roascio departed. Blain moved to continue closed session to discuss litigation strategy for Gravel Crushing; Miller seconded; motion carried.
11:00 Meeting reopened.
11:45 Sam Smith met with Commissioners to discuss putting in air conditioning in the Food Bank in Joliet, which is housed in the Joliet Road Shop building. The quote they received was $3,200 but the Food Bank does not have funding to pay for it; they are requesting county assistance to fund the project. Bullock suggested reaching out to the Area II Agency on Aging for funding assistance; they should be able to demonstrate the utilization of the Food Bank by senior citizens.

11:55 Building Maintenance coordinator Mike Schilz met with Commissioners regarding roll of dumpsters for cleaning out Cedar Wood.
12:00 Lunch

1:10 Justice of the Peace Kevin Nichols met with Commissioners to request permission to re-advertise to fill his vacant clerk position. The initial offer didn’t work out, the second in the pool fell through. Nichols noted he may request increasing the position back to a full-time status (currently 29 hours) for the next fiscal year. Discussed candidate pool, workload, and process for advertising. Blain moved to approve the hiring request for up to 29 hours; Bullock seconded; Bullock requested to remove the City Judge from the hiring committee; discussed other options for the hiring committee; Bullock volunteered to be on the committee; motion carried.

Commissioners discussed the Road Union negotiation opener proposal. Blain would like to see the Union do work and argue for a better wage. Bullock noted his desire to put the Road crew on a scale wage scale tied to the elected official wage and equivalent to where a deputy elected official is at. Blain agreed that in their role as Road Supervisors it made sense for Commissioners to propose the increase, but noted complications with their Commissioner roll of fiscal responsibility and balancing the budget. Blain discussed a possible change in the work schedule to better accommodate road maintenance obligations. Bullock noted in significant snow event everyone is dependent on roads being open to do their jobs. Discussion about private sector pay and benefit differentials. Miller noted things like the 4 10 schedule and retirement are perks that make up the pay difference from the private sector. Discussion of 5 day a week coverage in other offices, stepping wages up over time, and what may be acceptable to the public. Discussed re-implementation of Road Superintendent position.

Adjourned.

Respectfully submitted: Angela Newell, Administrative Officer