County Administrator Gets 3-Year Contract

For the first time in five years, Marinette County has a full time Highway Commissioner. By unanimous vote at its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 28, Marinette County Board approved a 3-year contract for Administrator Ellen Sorensen and accepted her appointment of Raymond “Ray” Palonen to the long vacant Highway Commissioner position. He assumed the duties of his new office even before the board meeting adjourned.

Palonen, who served as deputy highway commissioner and field operations manager for the Outagamie County Highway Department for the past 10 years, starts at a salary of $74,649 per year.

Palonen is the first person to fill the position of Highway Commissioner since the full time post was consolidated with the duties of a Director of Public Works position created in 2007.

The consolidated position was eliminated after the resignation of Mark Desotell, who served as Highway Commissioner as part of his Director of Public Works duties that also included heading the Forestry and Parks and Maintenance and Facilities departments. After Desotell resigned on Feb. 1 of this year the Director of Public Works position was abolished and former positions were restored. The Highway Commissioner post is the last of the re-created department head positions to be filled.

Responsibility for oversight of the Marinette County Highway Department has been handled on a part-time basis by Bill Prue, a longtime Marinette resident and former Wisconsin Department of Transportation official who came out of retirement to fill the vacancy as a favor to the county.

The first question asked before Palonen’s approval on Tuesday was, “When can he start?” and Sorensen replied, “Today...He’ll head for the Highway Department in Peshtigo immediately if we approve it.”

After the vote, Sorensen thanked Prue, Finance Director Pat Kass, County Board Supervisors in general and Highway Committee Chair Russ Bousley in particular “for keeping our Highway Department running so smoothly over the last seven months.”

Before the vote, Bousley reported the Highway Committee approved appointment of Palonen and recommended the $74,649 starting salary.

Palonen holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration from Silver Lake College in Manitowoc and an Associate’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Mich. His career started in 1992 as a Civil Engineering Technician with Omni Associates of Appleton, and in 1999 he was hired by Outagamie County Highway Department.

Palonen’s employment application stated he is trained and certified in “Lean Process Improvement,” a program aimed at identifying and eliminating organizational waste that Sorensen has been promoting for Marinette County.

Sorensen was hired as County Administrator in August of 2011 and started working on Oct. 1. Her salary under the new 3-year agreement is $96,500 per year, and benefits and raises are to be given at the same percentage as other department heads in the county with the exception of elected officials.

The contract gives County Board the right to terminate her position at any time, but if the termination is for any reason other than conviction of a felony crime she is entitled to four months’ severance pay. There are special provisions for termination due to illness or permanent disability. She is required to live in Marinette County as a condition of employment.

The board without dissent approved Sorensen’s appointment of Char Staffeldt to the Local Emergency Planning Committee and Marinette Fire Chief Robert Thull to the 911 User Committee, both with no term limitations.

Immediately before approving the 3-year contract for Sorensen County Board by 18 to 12 vote approved some controversial new personnel policies after considerable discussion. Main objections were to a full year probationary period for newly hired county employees as well as for long-term employees who post into a new job with the county. During the probationary period the employees can be fired with or without cause.

“I have a significant problem with the probationary period,” Supervisor Gilbert Engel of Niagara declared. He felt such a long probation period is unfair to employees who may want to buy a house, enroll their kids in school, and otherwise become part of the community. “Three months should be long enough,” he said, adding that the longer probationary period during which an employee can be discharged for any cause or for no cause at all can be part of a “power shift,” that could be used to manipulate county employees. Engel, a former social worker with the Marinette County Department of Health and Human Services, said he had seen that happen in Marinette County on at least two instances. “It’s easy to intimidate people when you can terminate their job without giving a reason,” he declared.

Corporation Counsel Gale Mattison disagreed. She argued allowing the year rather than only three months allows time for the department head and/or county administrator to work with the person and iron out problems that may arise early in their employment.

Supervisor Ken Casper said in schools the probationary period used to be two years, and in many districts that has now increased to three years. During that time, experienced teachers often serve as mentors to help their newly hired counterparts gain the skills they need.

Supervisor Al Sauld, who represents the Niagara/Beecher area, objected strongly to the one-year probation for new employees, but even more strongly to a six month probationary period faced by employees who post from one county job to another. During that time, an employee who had served well in one department for perhaps 20 years could be fired for no reason at all after posting to a new and better job in another department, he said. They also cannot transfer back to their old job.

“It would behoove the county to help people move up in their work,” Sauld declared. “With this rule, I’d be very scared to bid into a different job....I’ll be voting against this!”

Supervisor Al Mans of Marinette asked if the county’s labor policies require disciplinary proceedings before an employee can be discharged. Mattison said that would be the case, but only after the probationary period is completed. Meanwhile, during the probationary time, they can be dismissed “with or without cause,” for any reason or no reason.

Supervisor Connie Seefeldt, Grover, asked about legal protections for employees, and was told they exist, but again they do not apply during the probationary period.

In the only roll call vote of the day, the controversial Personnel Committee recommendations were approved by the 18 to 12 vote, with all supervisors present. Opposing votes were cast by supervisors Cindy “CJ” Barrette, Russ Bauer, Alice Baumgarten, Mike Behnke, Mike Cassidy, Engel, Paul Gustafson, Shirley Kaufman, Tom Mailand, Sauld, Seefeldt and Clancy Whiting.

Immediately after that vote, Sorensen’s contract was unanimously approved without discussion.

The only other controversy of the day centered on elimination of the Health and Human Services Department’s Adolescent Day Treatment program in the Marinette School District, to which Engel was strongly opposed.

“I have 33 years experience in mental health therapy with this population, and I’m going to oppose this,” Engel declared, adding the change does not affect his district not at all, but does affect many disturbed young people “who need someone there”

“They need ongoing support, not someone in an office downtown,” Engel declared. He said he had talked with the District Attorney and judges and felt they also strongly opposed the new program.

The proposed changes, which were finally approved with Engel casting the sole opposing vote, eliminated the HHS Adolescent Day Treatment therapist and social worker positions and created new Mental Health Therapist and Comprehensive Community Services Case manager positions, as well as eliminating a vacant Developmental Disabilities Case Manager post in favor of a new Long Term Services Case Manager.

Before the vote, Health and Human Services Committee Chair Kathy Just declared, “These children aren’t being abandoned,” and asked HHS Director Robin Elsner to explain.

Elsner said there have been fewer and fewer referrals to the Marinette School District’s Day Treatment program, and under the new Comprehensive Community Services program therapist teams and social workers, eight professionals in all, will work with the young people on an outreach basis, with the difference that they will serve disturbed young people in the entire county, not just in the Marinette School District. Elsner said there are currently four people who work in the Marinette school program, and under the new program they will have therapists that are mobile and case managers that are mobile. The students, he added, will not receive the traditional day treatment services but there will be groups and individual services in all the districts.

Sauld said he sympathized with Engels’ concerns, but voted for the program change in committee and would support it on the board floor because it will bring more services to his constituents in the northern end of the county.

Engel said he remained opposed. He asked how many services currently are supplied to Goodman, and Cassidy, supervisor from Goodman, said HHS people come up there “a couple of times a week,” and the school administrator is very happy with the services.

Sauld said things have changed in the last couple of years, and the north is no longer as deficient in services as it was.

County Board unanimously approved creation of a HHS Disability Benefits Specialist position assigned to the new Aging and Disability Resource Center. Engel asked how many are currently on the waiting list for services, noting that number was 99 when he retired. Elsner said there are currently 20 individuals in nursing homes waiting for services that will allow them to return to the community. The position is a requirement of the state aimed at helping citizens get the benefits to which they are entitled.

“Our ultimate goal is to provide better services to all the citizens of Marinette County,” Elsner said of the entire package of recommended changes.

Asked if the intent was to provide these improved services at a comparable price, Elsner said none of the changes have a fiscal impact. The cost will be the same, the work will just be handled differently.

In a move recommended by both the Finance and Personnel committees, the board unanimously approved hiring Wipfli, a CPA and consulting firm out of Wausau, for $15,000 to conduct a job and wage study of jobs in the county. Personnel Committee Chair Seefeldt said there have been several wage and job studies in the past that were more expensive, and the goal, when this study is finished, is to have only 30 job descriptions for the county, which will streamline hiring and should be a good change.

Supervisor Ted Sauve said in response to numerous questions he had attempted to find out what is happening with the $90 million project on Green Island, but attempts to contact John Gard had been unsuccessful. “Hopefully, I can bring the information - or maybe John Gard - to our next meeting,” he said.

County Board Chair Vilas Schroeder urged supervisors to attend meetings of the municipalities they represent, to learn what their concerns are and be a continuing part of the community.

At the start of the meeting two highly successful county athletes, Division 2 Wisconsin 100 meter Champion Brad Neumann of Peshtigo High School and Tim Wiedemeier of Crivitz High School, Division 3 State Pole Vault Champion, were presented with praise and plaques recognizing their achievements. Both young men were saluted for being excellent students and good role models as well as good athletes.

In other business:

*County Board approved transferring whatever interest the county may have in a parcel on Lot 1 in the Town of Lake to the owner of Lot 1, who was not identified in the motion or the Land Information Committee action that recommended it.

*Town of Niagara zoning ordinance amendments, one pertaining to waste materials “buried, spread, dumped or used for guiding construction within the town,” and the other identifying that the town zoning administrator reports directly to the town board were approved without dissent.

*Contract for the services of UW-Extension educator/agents for $114,476 for a year was approved.

*Contract with Modern Business Machines of Appleton for copy machines, otherwise known as “multi-functional devices,” was approved, subject to corporation counsel approval of the contract.

*Per diems of $25 each were approved for County supervisors who attend the Marinette County Health Fair scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 4 at the UW Field House in Marinette, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

*On recommendation of the Highway Committee, the board unanimously approved an ordinance designating several segments of county highways as part of the All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) system were approved. They are County I (formerly Parkway Road) in the Town of Goodman from 2,220 feet south and 3,480 feet north of US Hwy. 8; County R in the Town of Pembine, from 470 feet east to 1280 feet west of Timm’s Lake Road, and, also in the Town of Pembine, County R from its eastern beginning north and west 3,325 feet to the existing southbound ATV trail.

*The board re-appropriated $22,500 left from Phase I of the Twin County Airport study to pay for Phase II of the study recently approved by the Airport Commission.

*Transfer of $15,000 from the Health and Human Services fund balance to pay for an asbestos related overrun in renovating the ADRC building (part of the HHS building) was approved without dissent.

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