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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinance Minutes 2009 07 27_approved FINANCE/EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE July 27, 2009 The Finance/Executive Committee of the Grant County Board of Supervisors met on Monday, July 27, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. in Room 266 of the Administration Building, Lancaster, WI, pursuant to the adjournment of the July 14, 2009 meeting. The meeting was called to order by Chair Mark Stead. Members present were John Patcle, Stephen Adrian, Eugene Bartels, Robert Keeney, Hans Kostrau, and Lynn Moris. Also present were members of the Employee Relations Committee, Pat Sch roeder, Vincent Loeffelholz, JoAnn Milhouse, Joyce Roling, Linda Gebhard, Louise Ketterer, and Marilyn Pierce. Eugene Bartels, seconded by Hans Kostrau, moved that the meeting is in compliance with the open meeting law. Motion carried. Stephen Adrian, seconded by Lynn Moris, moved to approve the agenda. Motion carried. For the benefit of the Employee Relations Committee, Chair Mark Stead explained that questions arose during the July 14 discussion of the request to reclassify/reallocate the Deputy Treasurer and Deputy Treasurer of Deeds positions, specifically (1) why the four deputy positions (Treasurer, Register of Deeds, Clerk, and Clerk of Courts) are at three different pay levels, and (2) why deputies were union members. Both the Finance/Executive and Employee Relations Committees previously approved the reclassification of the Deputy County Clerk from level 9 to level 8. A letter was sent to the union which, in response, indicated it would not negotiate the change which was then implemented administratively. A grievance was subsequently filed by the union. Additional duties were assigned and the level changed to 8.5 in settlement of the grievance. Upon request, Joyce Roling read the settlement agreement. The grievance was settled to avoid binding arbitration which, on average, costs $15,000 plus the increased wages if the county lost the arbitration. In binding arbitration, the arbitrator chooses one of the two offers ; there is no option to compromise. Under Wis. Stat. 59.25 – annotations, “Except for their elected superior’s power to appoint and discharge, chief deputies are subject to the Municipal Employment Relations Act, ss. 111.70 to 111.77, and are not excluded from a collective bargaining unit as a matter of law.” The county explored the possibility of excluding them from the union in 2006 and concluded that the type and extent of their managerial duties and access to confidential information was not sufficient to exclude them from the union. Joyce Roling was asked to identify the changes made to the Deputy County Clerk’s job description in February 2009, which were to remove duties related to payroll and financials and add website maintenance. Linda Gebhard addressed the responsibilities of the Deputy County Clerk. Finance/Executive Committee July 27, 2009 2 Committee members expressed concern with equity between the deputy positions, particularly where there is a large disparity in length of service. Joyce Roling explained the difference between reclassification and reallocation. A reclassification requires a significant change in job duties. Reclassification requests are presented to the governing committee which makes a recommendation to ERC. ERC approves or denies the request. A reallocation results from a difference in market value or an equity issue and is addressed in contract negotiations, not at the committee level. Committee members inquired as to how often the Deputy Treasurer and Deputy Register of Deeds have asked for a change in pay level. Joyce Roling responded that it has happened nearly every year and the union has also presented it in previous contract proposals but it has never been agreed to. JoAnn Milhouse and Joyce Roling clarified that the question would be brought to this committee only if it is a reclassification which requires justification of a signifi cant change in duties. Chair Mark Stead stated that the letter he received indicated they were seeking a reclassification. According to the letters, the additional costs would be $2,128 per year for the Deputy Treasurer and $2,130 for the Deputy Register of Deeds. Those changes would be effective October 1 if approved by ERC. Lynn Moris, seconded by Hans Kostrau, moved to recommend to the Employee Relations Committee to reclassify the Deputy Register of Deeds and Deputy Treasurer to pay level 8.5. A roll call vote was taken. Robert Keeney No Stephen Adrian No Hans Kostrau Yes Eugene Bartels Yes Lynn Moris Yes Mark Stead Yes John Patcle No The vote was four yes and three no, therefore, the motion carried. The committees briefly discussed the roles of the two committees and the need for improved communication. ERC Chair Maynard Behncke made a commitment that there will be more communication in the future regarding issues pertinent to the Finance/Executive Committee. Hans Kostrau, seconded by Stephen Adrian, moved to adjourn. The motion carried.