At the recent November and December meetings of the county commissioners some hefty dollars were spent on personnel and related matters, much of it in a 4-to-1 vote, with three of the votes coming from lame duck commissioners.

Monday, January 08, 2001

At the recent November and December meetings of the county commissioners some hefty dollars were spent on personnel and related matters, much of it in a 4-to-1 vote, with three of the votes coming from lame duck commissioners.

According to figures we can obtain, the amount totaled a $617,500 increase for personnel wages annually. Add to this the possible need for additional expenses involved in obtaining an assessor and surveyor. No one has an estimate of the cost of those two items. Then, further, add the 2-1/2 percent cost of living increase.

By now we should all be interested in just what is happening at the county level. We shall examine in detail the salary of the sheriff in a later column.

At the Dec. 7 meeting, a total of 11-1/2 new positions were established for the county. First of all there was the hiring of four new jailers at an annual cost of $130,000. I do not take issue with the need for these new positions; however, it will be interesting to watch and see if there is still a need, if and when we get some improvement in the ability to safely transport the prisoners from the jail to the courtroom areas. We all know that once a position is established in the public sector, it is all but impossible to remove it. Time will tell. Think it over!

The position of Global Identification Supervisor was established at an unconfirmed salary of $45,000 annually. A new position or additional position titled &uot;maintenance worker&uot; at an annual figure of $36,000 was established. An environmental watershed field technician position was established at a figure of $37,000 annually.

Another position, that of &uot;planning and zoning inspector&uot; was established at a cost which is not confirmed. The balance of the job additions consisted of increasing some areas from half time to full time, etc. Final word: 11 12 new positions for the county.

The resulting impact is somewhat interesting. 2001 will certainly find the county dipping into the reserves that our leaders have been so proud of. As I recall, the reserve is in the neighborhood of $4 million (which has been touted as the seed for the courthouse renovation fund). I do not know what the rules are for the county insofar as dipping into the reserves. Obviously, if we cannot take from reserves, then taxes will have to be raised.

Bear in mind, as you read along here, that we have no assessor and we have no surveyor. Further, bear in mind that at this Dec. 7 meeting, all (ALL) of the comparative worth suggestions were implemented at an approximate cost of $180,000. From my experience in the realm of human resources and personnel I find it extremely unusual and highly irregular that all of the comparable worth suggestions would be implemented at one time. I think it is probably just a tad too easy to just &uot;vote ’em in&uot; and let it be done.

Now for some math! The Freeborn County local levy for taxes is approximately $7 million. If we spend $70,000 extra, that means a 1 percent increase. It appears that we will possibly spend 10 times that. Hey folks, that could mean a 10 percent increase in taxes. That, in addition to the new school taxes, will make our county less desirable. Is that what we want? I, for one, am disturbed by this, and the question is perplexing: Who is watching the store?

We need good fiscal management on a continuing basis. The farm community is not enjoying the prosperity of the rest of society. Our local industry does not have a long-standing record of high-paying jobs. Let us use extreme wisdom and caution as we move along with these decisions. We should all take an interest in what is going on in the lower level of the courthouse when the county commissioners meet. This affects each of us. Call your commissioner and talk this over with him. You can make a difference. THINK IT OVER!

Warren Jensen is an Albert Lea resident. His column appears Mondays.