Dunn County approves 1.5% bonus for administrators

By LeAnn R. Ralph

MENOMONIE —  The Dunn County Board has approved a 1.5 percent wage adjustment for permanent, non-represented, non-elected employees for 2013 and 2014.

The Dunn County Board approved the wage adjustment at the November 12 meeting.

Sheila Stori, county board supervisor from Menomonie, wondered when administrators and managers had last received a bonus and noted that county employees are now paying more for insurance and retirement benefits.

Non-represented, non-elected employees have not received a single wage adjustment in 15 years, said Gene Smith, county manager.

The last change in the wage scale across the board for employees was in 2012, he said.

Donald Krause, county board supervisor from New Auburn, was opposed to the 1.5 percent wage adjustment.

The county is cutting support for some organizations, such as Stepping Stones, and should not be giving a bonus to employees, Krause said.

The economic recovery has been coming along slowly, he noted.

Krause said that when he was working, the best bonus he got was to keep his job for another year.

The issue was discussed at length at the administration committee meeting, said David Bartlett, county board supervisor from Boyceville.

The county is having some difficulty filling positions, and “this is a way to give a raise for two years,” he said.

The 1.5 percent wage adjustment will not change the wage scale adopted by the Dunn County Board for 2014.

The majority of the Dunn County Board voted in favor of the 1.5 percent wage adjustment. Krause was the only supervisor to vote “no” on the motion.

County board supervisors Alec Kirby, Pete Wiese, Donald Kuether, Mary Solberg and Gary Seipel were absent from the meeting.

Money for the wage adjustments will come from unused department funds or unassigned fund balances.