Posted: 4/12/05
Board approves hiring deputies
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Daniel Coogan and Adam Eide were approved as two new Houston County Sheriffís Department deputies at the April 5 county board meeting.
Coogan, a police officer for the City of La Crescent, will begin on April 13. Eide, who works for the Rushford Police Department, will start on May 2.
Both will be paid at step two of the 2004 deputiesí contract rate, which is $17.74 per hour.
They are replacing Randy Shefelbine and Robert Schuldt, who recently resigned.
Sheriff Mike Lee also told the board that he had met with the Brownsville City Council after seeing an ad that they wanted to hire a police officer. He showed them the deputiesí schedules so they would know exactly when they would be in the Brownsville vicinity. Lee said his department would bill the city for any overtime hours beyond that. ěTheyíre real happy with it,î he said.
In other personnel item, personnel director Tim Comstock said that highway department maintenance specialist Clayton Johnson is resigning to take a job as business agent for the Forty-Niners labor union. His last day will be April 15.
Comstock recommended hiring someone who also has mechanic skills. The new person could then be a back up for Rick Vesterse, who is the only mechanic on the highway department staff. The board approved Comstock's requests.
Richard Herman was also hired as a drop site supervisor as needed.
Other business
ď The board awarded crushed rock bids to two companies, Fred Carlson Company (doing business as Roverud Construction) for $129,113; and Bonanza Grain (Kruckow Rock Products) for $126,089.
ď The board approved a request from environmental services director Rick Frank to put money in seven different banks in the county so that drop sites would have enough money to pay people for aluminum. Aluminum is selling for 43 cents per pound, Frank said. Because of that high price, drop sites donít always have enough money to pay people. Dave Corcoran remarked that people are picking up aluminum cans from roadsides. Larry Graf said he wished the same thing would happen with plastic bottles.
ď The board received a letter of appreciation from Hilltopper Refuse and Recycling in Onalaska, Wisconsin, for extending its solid waste contract with La Crosse County. Larry and Gary Hougom wrote that the community and businesses benefit from what they see as ěcost effective and environmentally sound solid waste management services.î
ď The board did not take action on a request from Ben Klankowski of the Houston County Ag Society (Fair Board) to help pay for a $35,000 bathroom and shower building. Dave Corcoran said he would like a firmer cost of the project, and even some quotes, before making a commitment. He asked that fair board members be invited to a future meeting to explain the project.
Jail update
Last weekís county board meeting ended with an update on the progress of the new jail.
Ann Thompson reported that some members of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee were to meet on April 7 to narrow down the field of construction management companies and programmers for the project.
Thompson said the board needed a county staff person to serve as a liaison between the board and county employees. She said she would talk to personnel director Tim Comstock about being the ěpoint man.î
Earlier that morning, the CJCC held its monthly meeting in the courtroom, with eight people attend. Aaron Rittenhouse from Johnson Controls made another pitch there to have his Madison-based company serve as program manager. He said his company stresses utility consumption and how the building functions. He gave a presentation to the committee and full county board in March.
CJCC committee member Mark Schiltz asked what the committee thought about offering tours of the jail during Founders Day. Earl Welch said he liked the idea, ěto help sell this thing.î
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