Finance Department Reorganization Is Hot Topic For Marinette County

If discussion at the Marinette County Forestry Committee meeting on Friday, June 8 is any indication, plans to reorganize the Finance Department may not have smooth sailing at the County Board meeting Tuesday, June 26.

After well over an hour of discussion with County Administrator Ellen Sorensen, the committee reluctantly approved creation of an Administrative Assistant position for their department after specifying she will work under the direction of the Forestry and Parks Administrator, not the County Finance Director. The job description does include providing assistance to the Highway Department and Maintenance Department, in addition to serving as secretary and receptionist to the Parks and Forestry Department.

The same county supervisors, wearing their Parks Committee hats, last month rejected the plan to reorganize job duties in several county departments, including their own. Vote at the May 11 Parks Committee meeting ended in a tie, which defeated the motion. Supervisors Lawrence Nichols and Russell Bousley voted in favor and Supervisors Ken Mattison and Al Mans were opposed. Supervisor Bill Walker, who chairs the committee, was absent.

As originally presented, the Parks Secretary and the Forestry Secretary would have worked under the direction of Finance Director Pat Kass. Subsequent to that meeting, longtime Parks Secretary Kathy Coleman quit that position to post into a secretarial job in the District Attorney’s office which did not come under the reorganization plan. More than a few of the comments by committee members at the June 8 Forestry meeting attributed that job transfer to the pending reorganization.

The Finance Department reorganization plan, which was supported by both Finance and Personnel Committees and will be considered by County Board next week, includes eliminating positions of accountant, payroll coordinator, accounting coordinator, business manager - sheriff, office manager - highway, administrative secretary - forestry, and parks clerk typist, as well as creating the positions of assistant finance director, accountant - public works, accountant - purchasing/grant coordinator, accountant - general ledger, accountant - payroll and accounting clerk.

As originally presented to the Forestry Committee on June 8, their Administrative Assistant would report to the Forestry and Parks Administrator, but the job analysis read, “This position serves as secretary and receptionist to the Highway Department, Maintenance Department and Forestry and Parks Department and receives additional direction from the department heads of these departments. Responsibilities include performing a variety of complex clerical tasks unique to areas of assignment, which require the understanding of department activities and the exercise of good judgment.”

The committee revised the recommendation to read, “This position serves as secretary and receptionist to the Forestry and Parks Department and provides additional assistance to the Highway Department and the Maintenance Department under the direction of the Forestry & Parks Administrator,” and specified that the change in job description will go into effect only if County Board approves the Finance Department reorganization as recommended by Kass and Sorensen.

At the start of the discussion Scott explained originally there was a plan to reorganize the Finance Department, which would have included reassigning Forestry Department secretary Lynn Swiatnicki to work under Finance Department direction. He said because of the job duties of the Forestry and Parks secretaries it was decided they should remain under his direction.

However, because some of the financial responsibilities are being removed they added the assistance for Highway and Maintenance departments.

Sorensen explained since payroll is now being done in the Finance Department and the Parks and Forestry positions will no longer have financial responsibilities they would need to have a pay cut unless some other duties are added.

Mans objected to the whole plan, declaring 21 positions are being shifted to the Finance Department.

A few years ago the Parks and Forestry, Highway and Buildings and Properties departments were merged into a Public Works Department, but that didn’t work out and earlier this year they were again separated into separate departments. Now the proposal is to have three people do the secretarial work for all four departments, Mans observed.

“This committee lost a whole lot of control a year and a half ago,” Nichols declared, referring to a policy change whereby individual committees no longer review their bills and approve them for payment. That is now handled through the Finance Department, with prior approval of invoices only by each department head. The committees see lists of bills paid, but no longer approve payment, because that is done by the Finance Department with no direct committee oversight. Committees mostly no longer even review invoices.

That entire change in procedure happened before Sorensen became County Administrator, and the change process started because the Parks and Forestry Committee was seeking a faster way to get trail expense reimbursement money from the state into the treasuries of the clubs that had done the work or paid to get it done.

“We asked for one thing and they took a whole lot more,” Nichols declared.

Sorensen assured them most counties handle payments the way Marinette County does not.

Bousley countered that may be so, “...but I always thought it was poor business to pay bills before you look at them.”

“We feel that we lost all control,” Mans said, agreeing with the sentiments expressed by Bousley and Nichols.

“I think we lost a lot there and if we approve this, we lose a whole lot more,” Nichols agreed.

“What I’m asking you to do is a culture change,” Sorensen urged. “We are not here as separate departments. We are here to deliver services to the citizens of Marinette County in the best and most efficient way we can.” She said there is currently no purchasing agent, so departments cannot work together to get economies of scale in purchasing, and there is no grant specialist, so many grant opportunities are missed, or obtained but not maximized. “This is about better delivery of service,” she declared.

The committee was concerned that if they failed to approve the job description provided the department might not get the help it needs during their busiest time of year, although there is currently a limited term employee filling the post vacated by Coleman’s transfer.

Scott said the position is strictly for Parks and Forestry, and will be changed from a 35 hour work week to 40 hours, answerable to four different departments. Committee members were told telephones for each department can be answered from one desk in the Parks and Forestry office. Scott agreed it is possible the secretary may occasionally need to drive to Peshtigo for Highway Department meetings.

Referring to the many duties in the Parks and Forestry offices, involving park and campground reservations, logging contracts, sale of firewood permits, park stickers, timber and land sale inquiries, Camp Bird information, right of way and access permits, and more, Walker commented he comes to the office often, “And I have yet to find the girls just sitting around talking.” He added, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”

Mans, referring to Sorensen’s comments about “a new culture,” asked who from County Board had been involved in discussions on forming that new culture.

Sorensen said former Board Chair George Bousley and Vice Chair Vilas Schroeder, who now is Board Chair, had been involved, but main discussions were at department head meetings, and the Finance Committee was somewhat involved. She added she had told Kass that this position belongs to the Forestry and Parks Department.

Mattison declared the resolution at least would have to be worded differently, “No person can take direction from all those people and make it work...If Scott is to be the person in charge the words need to be in there.” He said that had been the main objection at the Parks Committee meeting a month earlier.

The committee stressed need to make it clear who the secretary will answer to, including who would be in charge if Scott were not in the office. Nichols asked if it would be Assistant Forest Administrator Pete Vilas, or if it would be Kass or perhaps the Highway Commissioner. Sorensen said she wasn’t prepared to answer that, but her intent was that control remain in the Forestry and Parks Department. Scott said the human Relations Department would need to approve any changes in wording of the job description.

Mans declared the Parks and Forestry Department runs a $2 million a year business, “and our girls are busy.” Scott said without payroll and accounting they will have less to do.

Mattison was not satisfied with the job analysis, and preferred waiting until they see if County Board approves the entire Finance Department reorganization before approving a job description to fit it.

Nichols agreed, and expressed concern about the “box” they were being put in. Mattison agreed once they approve the new job description there would be no backing out.

“We’ve been watching what they’ve been doing...the Finance Department is going to take over the whole show,” Mans declared. He said somebody seems to think the girls in their department handle only menial tasks, and declared with the proposed changes they will be providing less service to the public, not more. As to the cross training that had been mentioned, he said they had that before Coleman left the department. He added, “You’ll have to prove to me where it will be better with our new culture!” He said he had not seen where there would be any business advantage to the new plan.

Sorensen said the new employee will be “embedded” in the Parks and Forestry office, but the Finance people will move from office to office.

Bousley mentioned $80,000 that had been lost on a grant through the Building and Grounds Department because proper accounting procedures were not followed through, and Sorensen mentioned problems with accounting at the Highway Department.

“So the Finance Department will get bigger,” Mans commented.

Walker, laying the role of peace maker, suggested in fairness to Sorensen, perhaps they should look at the big picture and “at least give it a trial.”

Finally, on motion by Walker, seconded by Bousley, the reworded job description resolution was approved, with Mans and Mattison voting no, and Walker, Nichols and Bousley voting in favor.

“You have my promise this position will do what you need it to do,” Sorensen assured the apprehensive committee before they moved on to other business.

The other business included accepting reports showing revenue of $310,668 for the prior month, with the annual total $161,220 more than last year at this time.

The committee approved a number of timber sale contract extensions, some with penalties and some without, depending on circumstances.

A request to help fund the City of Marinette’s Logging and Heritage Fest was refused on advice from Corporation Counsel Gale Mattison that a donation for that purpose would not meet the public purpose doctrine for use of taxpayer dollars.

A memorandum of agreement with the Department of Natural Resources for use of Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Land Acquisition Grant program was approved and will be forwarded to County Board.

Also approved for County Board consideration was a land trade with the State Land Commission. If approved, the former Jerold Kiesow property in the Town of Silver Cliff will become county property. The state will pay $15,000 and obtain other county owned land in Silver Cliff in exchange.

The day for the committee had started with an auction of properties that had been taken over by the county for nonpayment of taxes. That sale, conducted by Scott as auctioneer, brought in a total of $293,675.

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