By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
Ellis County’s wage and benefit study was once again the topic of discussion at Monday night’s Ellis County Commission meeting.
For the second week, Public Works employee Mike Fisher approached the commission with questions regarding multiple drafts of the study circulating among county employees and commission members that show different figures regarding pay.
County Administrator Greg Sund said Evergreen Solutions, the company contracted to conduct the study, had originally planned to implement to recommendations of the study over three years, which would cost the county approximately $400,000 per year.
But Sund said, with the financial issues facing the county, he suggested phasing wage and benefit increases in over five years.
“We’re taking a tremendous loss in revenue, unless we raise something else to make up the difference,” Sund added. “I was trying to find a way to soften the blow a little bit so that we can seriously address this study and implement it.”
Fisher countered with, “You may not have any employees when you’re done in five years.”
He also accused the county of spending money on new chairs for the commission chambers and a new phone system instead of using the money elsewhere.
But Sund and the commission quickly pointed out that the chairs were left over from when Commerce Bank owned the building and said county needed the phone system upgrade.
At issue is the number of open positions within the Public Works department – and others within the county – and the commission’s request for departments to limit their hiring while the county works through their 2016 budget.
Fisher expressed frustration with the county’s unwillingness to negotiate an increase in salary to keep employees from leaving.
But it was pointed out to Fisher, again Monday night and confirmed by County Counselor Bill Jeter that state law bars them from discussing what was negotiated between the county and the employees unions.
Fisher also said he found it upsetting that he received a phone call from Commissioner Barb Wasinger this week asking him what he wanted to talk about.
Wasinger said the reason for the phone call was to reiterate that the commission cannot discuss wage and benefits and “state law says we can’t talk to you about what we negotiated with your union people.”
Sund said they have received the fourth draft of the study and that the more questions department heads and the administration ask, the longer the study will take to be completed.
Evergreen Solutions is scheduled to come before the county commission in the future to talk about the ongoing study.
In other business:
• The commission voted to accept a $1.5 million grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation for improvements to the intersection at 230th Avenue and 55th Street. Public Works Director Mike Graf said the upgrades were estimated at $2 million.
The $1.5 million is also about 10-percent of the estimated cost to upgrade 230th Avenue.
• Voted 2-1 to approve a contract with CIC to develop a new database of county images from their previous county system. Commissioner Dean Haselhorst voted against the $21,465 contract.
• The commission voted to amend the lease on the property at 1205 Fort to a month-to-month contract. Court services is currently housed in the building but will be moving to the courthouse once construction is complete.
• The commission also discussed a policy that allows the county administrator to approve any change orders on ongoing projects that cost up to 10-percent of the total project.
Currently, the county administrator brings all change orders to the commission for approval – a move that Wasinger said slowing down efforts on some projects.
But Haselhorst and Commissioner Marcy McClelland said they want to continue to approve the orders. No change was made to the policy but said he would continue to bring the change orders to the commission for approval.
• The commission also held two executive sessions, taking no action.