County to try AC search once again

• Pierce County

Pierce County

Talk about it

Pierce County Board Chairman Paul Barkla made a request Monday to his fellow Finance and Personnel Committee members in regards to the county’s search for an administrative coordinator.

“Please, please, please do something,” Barkla said. He has been the interim administrative coordinator since Curt Kephart resigned three years ago this month.

“We can’t continue the way it is,” chimed in Supervisor Jeff Holst.

A discussion then ensued about whether or not the position should be

fulltime or part-time. Both Barkla and Jerry Kosin said it should be part-time.

But in the end, the committee agreed to seek a fulltime administration and to advertise a vacancy once again. This time the advertisement will include a pay range ($79,955-$101,546) to give those interested an idea of how much the salary will be.

Jail

The committee also approved spending up to $30,000 from the Jail Maintenance Fund so KKE can do a revised study of the jail.

“Are we in danger of being shut down by the state?” Rod Rommel asked Sheriff Nancy Hove as state inspectors have told the county they do not like combining the dispatcher and jailer jobs.

Hove told him no. She told the committee this study will lay out all the options for the county in regards to the jail – remodel, expand, renovate or build a new one entirely along with a justice center. She added expansion options include going up, building towards the front or eliminating garage space.

“Heck, maybe if we reorganize, we could get more space,” she said. “The more options we have the better.”

The remodeling option garnered the most support from the committee, so at least it would meet standards, as building a new jail is not economically feasible currently.

The request to transfer the funds has to go in front of the full County Board Tuesday night.

Other business

The committee discussed requiring all supervisors to attend County Board and committee meetings in person. Barkla said a substantial amount of other Wisconsin counties require a physical presence. The issue went no further.

The committee authorized Hove and DARE. officer Steve Albarado to attend the National DARE conference in Nashville July 26-28.

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