Posted: 7/20/04
County approves new jailer/dispatcher
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Houston County will soon have a new half-time jailer/dispatcher to reduce overtime costs in the Sheriffís Department.
County commissioners ap-proved the request from jail administrator Mark Schiltz at their July 13 board meeting.
About $24,182 in overtime costs occurred in 2003, Schiltz said, with a total of 1,049 hours. That averaged to $23.05 per hour. (The overtime rate is 1-1/2 times the regular rate of pay.)
The county would save money because the new person would make less than $23.05 per hour. The starting wage for the new position is $13.37 per hour.
Vacations and compensatory time (ìcompî time) are a weekly occurrence, Schiltz wrote in a report to the board.
The new person person would have a flexible schedule so that he/she could cover vacation and comp time that personnel take.
If someone resigns, the new person could cover that shift until the position is filled, Schiltz added.
Comp time refers to county employees being able to bank extra hours that they have worked. They get 1-1/2 hours of paid time off for every hour that they bank, up to a limit of 80 hours per year. At the end of the year, they can cash out their unused banked hours at their regular hourly rate.
Pay for Stay update
Schiltz also gave the board an update on payments that jail inmates make.
Inmates who are convicted are charged $20 per day in jail as part of a program called ìPay for Stayî that started on August 1, 2003.
Since that time, the county has collected $13,849.44 prior to inmatesí release.
The county is also using a collection agency, Financial Consultants Company, to collect $22,640.49 of unpaid amounts. The agency takes a percentage of the money that inmates owe.
Waste pesticide complaint
Rick Frank, Houston County Environmental Services Director, spoke to the board about a letter he drafted regarding changes in the Minnesota Department of Agricultureís Waste Pesticide Collection Program.
The letter, which first district county commissioner Larry Graf signed, will be send to local legislators and Governor Tim Pawlenty.
Frank and commissioners are upset with the modifications, which will likely cost the county more money.
Up until this year, the MDA held pesticide collection days every other year. But now, as a cost-saving measure, the MDA is using $250,000 to contract with regional Household Hazardous Waste Facilities to collect the waste pesticides.
The nearest such facility is in Winona, which would be a hardship for farmers and businesses to travel to because of the distance, Frank feels.
He added that if Houston County depleted its allocated funds, the county would have to cover the difference.
ìThis will create a financial hardship for our county, which is already covering other state unfunded/mandated programs,î the letter states.
Sportsman Valley approved
The board approved the final plat for Sportsman Valley Edition in La Crescent Township. It was previously approved by the La Crescent township planning commission.
La Crescent Township has its own planning commission, so approval by the Houston County planning commission is not needed. Zoning laws of individual townships and cities must be at least as restrictive as the county zoning laws. La Crescent Township is the only township in the county that has its own planning commission.
Kevin Kelleher, second district commissioner, voiced some concerns with La Crescent Township plats, although he said he was not singling out this one specifically.
Kelleher said he wants to make sure that La Crescent Township is aware of issues like proper slopes. He said he would like to see county zoning staff talk to the developers to make sure they are in compliance with zoning laws. ìItís always good to have communication to make sure everyone is on the same page,î he said.
ï In other business, the board approved the hiring of Becci Rediske as a drop site supervisor to be used as needed.
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