Salary negotiations for 2023

Sheriff Elect Jay Dulas was appointed as Interim Sheriff for December 30 to January 3 during the regular meeting of the Board of County Commissioners held at 5:30 p.m. December 20, 2022. Waseca County found itself in what County Administrator Michael Johnson described as an “interesting statutory position.” State laws require counties to employ an active sheriff at all times. Sheriff Milbrath’s retirement becomes official December 30. In such cases, the most commonly appointed interim is the chief ceputy to the sheriff. However, Waseca County’s Chief Deputy has tendered his resignation effective December 30. County staff recommended Dulas serve as interim until his own swearing in on January 3, and the Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to accept the recommendation. Tammy Spooner, Director of Waseca County Property and Election Services, administered Dulas’ oath.

The board also passed a resolution to send a Letter of Commitment for local match with the grant application submitted by Bevcomm for the Border-to-Border Broadband Grant. Bevcomm CEO Bill Eckles spoke to the board during a work session held November 22 about his company’s plans for this grant. Bevcomm hopes to use grant money to fund infrastructure improvements that will bring high-speed broadband internet to a minimum of 200 homes in Waseca County currently classified by the Federal Communications Commission as “underserved” or “unserved.” The estimated total cost of the project is $2,268,000, 50% to be funded by grant money, 25% to be funded by local match, and 25% plus any overruns to be funded by Bevcomm. The county’s Letter of Commitment agrees that, in the case that Bevcomm receives the Border-to-Border Broadband grant, Waseca County will provide $567,000 toward the project. The county’s portion need not be paid until the project is completed, which is estimated to be in 2025. It will be entirely funded by American Rescue Plan Act money which the county has already set aside for broadband infrastructure, and thus will have no impact on tax levies. Johnson reported that Bevcomm intends to build out as much as possible from this infrastructure project, providing direct connection to every consenting home possible at no cost to the homeowner if done during the initial installation. Direct connections of this type installed after the fact, Johnson said, can carry bills in the thousands.

The board approved a request from Spooner to do a special check run on December 29 to pay bills before the end of the fiscal year, a practice that she says has been beneficial the past few years. The annual lease renewal with MN Prairie County Alliance for space at 1000 West Elm Street was updated to remove the basement storage space, which MNPCA has never utilized, lowering the lease amount from $231,096 to 209,347. The Board of Commissioners also resolved to enter into a contract with Anoka County for secure juvenile detention beds, of which there is a shortage in Minnesota. The contract guarantees Waseca County access to 547 days’ worth of bed usage in Anoka County facilities at a savings rate of $59/day compared to the rate without this contract. The contract currently extends through December of 2026 but can be exited with proper notice. The county’s All Hazard Mitigation Plan, required by the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, must be renewed in 2023: The board authorized participation in the planning process and execution of the agreement reached with the state for that renewal. These plans are funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency with 75% of funds allocated at the state level and 25% of funds, a minimum of $9,250, allocated at the county level.

Salary issues rounded out the agenda, with three items to be approved. Wage increases for non-union county employees were set to follow the same standards set by the union contracts, which is the standard procedure for these employees in Waseca County. 

Also to be approved were salaries for County Attorney Rachel Cornelius and for the Board of Commissioners. The established process for these salaries is for the labor committee to meet with the official to look at market data and generate a recommendation to bring before the Board of Commissioners for voting. The recommendation made for Cornelius’ 2023 salary was $137,500. Commissioner Doug Christopherson questioned the figure, stating that his calculations based on counties of similar population size showed a lower average. Johnson explained that the county uses a prescriptive model based on thirteen “benchmark counties” which generated the amount. Christopherson’s broader method couldn’t be guaranteed to account for variations in crime rates or support staff at the same level as the established model. Deja Weber, Assistant County Attorney, spoke up in support of Cornelius, who could not be present at the meeting. Cornelius has a long tenure with Waseca County, Weber said, and has a “sterling reputation.” She stressed the importance of retention, citing that many counties struggle with hiring and retention in their County Attorney departments since private practice is much more lucrative. Brought to a vote, the measure to set Cornelius’ salary passed 4-1, with Christopherson voting against. The salary recommendation given for the Board of Commissioners according to the benchmark data was $34,000, plus an additional $2,000 for the Chair, with a $100 per diem for time spent on official duties outside of regular meetings. Commissioner Blair Nelson moved to approve this rate, but the motion failed for lack of a second. Commissioner Brian Harguth then moved for the salary to be set at the median amount listed in their documentation, $29,777, with an additional $2,000 for the Chair and for the per diem to remain at $95. Commissioner DeAnne Malterer seconded the motion. Christopherson stated that he does not feel underpaid at the board’s current salary of $25,848 and that he knew what the salary would be both times he’s run for his position. Nelson weighed in on the opposite side of the issue, in favor of the original higher salary, pointing out that in the 12 years he’s served on the board, commissioners have taken no increase five times and that he feels the effort put in by the board justified the amount in the county’s current economic position. “I don’t look at us as an average board,” he explained, going on to discuss his involvement with multi-county initiatives. Harguth’s motion passed 4-1, with Christopherson voting against. Following the vote, Christopherson stated that he would not accept the salary increase for himself.