Commissioners relent, won’t hire administrator
Editor and publisher
In a striking reversal, county commissioners voted 2-1 Monday to rescind their controversial decision of three weeks earlier to hire a county administrator.
Commissioner Dianne Novak made the surprise motion despite also having made the original motion to create the position, the idea of which was rejected by 55.3 percent of voters in a non-binding referendum a year ago.
Randy Dallke, who opposed Novak’s original motion, agreed with her to rescind it. Kent Becker, who favored the original motion, cast the lone vote against reversing it.
Novak’s motion came after concerned citizens, some of whom already had left the meeting, spoke out against hiring an administrator.
“I don’t understand why we’re pushing for an administrator for the county if the people already have voted against this,” spectator Patricia Nystrom said. “If you are as concerned about the budget as you say you are, how are we going to pay for the administrator?”
Novak responded with a full-throated defense of the administrator position.
Paying for consultants to look into the county’s waste transfer station and pay scale and contributing money to the now-disbanded Marion County Economic Development Corporation were “$91,000 down the toilet,” Novak said.
“All the money we’ve been spending on roads is just down the toilet,” she said. “Do you want to spend that money on an administrator or on these sorts of things?”
Another spectator chimed in: “We want YOU to become wiser.”
Novak, who moments earlier had criticized the county’s reliance on consultants, said she planned to bring in a consultant to help structure the position.
The topic vanished from discussion for nearly an hour before Novak unexpectedly returned to it at the end of the meeting.
Not citing public concern but rather what she said was lack of support among commissioners, she moved to overturn the previous action.
After a brief discussion of parliamentary procedure, Dallke quietly agreed, with Becker opposed.
Christmas bonuses
In between, commissioners discussed but came to no resolution on a range of other issues, including whether county employees should receive — or already had received — Christmas bonuses.
Dallke suggested a $150 bonus, then an additional day off with pay to be used during the next six months.
“I’ve had quite a few phone calls about why we didn’t address this,” Dallke said.
Becker suggested a $100 bonus for everyone but elected officials.
Novak countered that employees already got half a day off with pay on New Year’s Eve and free flu shots and soon will be having their pay scales re-evaluated.
“I think that’s a nice bonus right there, especially with our budget,” she said. “Back in my day, we got a canned ham and were happy with it.”
Clerk Tina Spencer questioned whether seasonal, part-time, and former workers would be eligible.
Others questioned the “hidden cost” of accounting for additional time off.
Spectator Tom Britain said it would be illegal for elected officials to get the bonus and criticized Dallke and Becker for accepting bonuses last year.
Comparing them to former economic development director Theresa Huffman, who has pleaded guilty to misusing government funds, he urged them to return the money and asked: “Are they above the law or what?”
In the end, commissioners decided to postpone discussion until their next meeting, Jan. 7.
Commissioners’ pay
Also not decided was whether new commissioners, elected after the county’s expanded five-member commission goes into effect, would be paid the same as current commissioners, which might cost the county as much as $50,000 more annually.
Commissioners now are paid $18,000 plus, if they choose, employee health insurance that can add around $6,000 to that, along with public employee retirement system contributions. Becker is the only current commissioner who uses the insurance.
Novak argued, as she had in the past, that commissioners should be paid less because they would be serving smaller districts.
While not specifically suggesting an amount, Becker and Dallke both argued that commissioner pay was an important inducement to attracting high-quality candidates.
Spectator Eileen Sieger, chairman of the county Democratic Party, agreed.
Democrat and Republican precinct committeemen will be tasked with recruiting and nominating candidates to appear on the ballot for the new districts.
“A few thousand dollars is a lot to many people,” she said.
Independents also will be able to get their names on the ballot by following standard nominating-petition procedures.
When the election will be is a decision to be made by the governor’s office.
On Monday, commissioners officially adopted a notification that will go to the governor.
Included are the boundaries of the new districts, three of which are not contiguous despite state law requiring that they be as “compact” as possible.
Islands from the cities of Marion and Hillsboro are attached to two more rural districts that do not adjoin them. A third district has a “donut hole” in the middle of it from which the section of Marion was removed so it could be attached to a rural district.
Whether the election will be in the spring or the fall will be up to the governor.
Sieger suggested that a fall election would allow more time to find candidates and allow them to campaign, but Novak questioned this.
“I’ve had a lot of phone calls from people who are not happy with November,’ she said. “People are saying, we voted for it; what’s the delay?”
She questioned whether “the small cost” of running a special election early was sufficient reason for the delay.