Commission reviews judge request for employee review without notifying her

The Hill County Commission Thursday tabled discussion of a request by the Hill County Justice of the Peace to review and consider changing the job description of her clerks, a discussion Judge Audrey Barger said she was unaware of.

Commissioner Diane McLean said during the commission’s weekly business meeting that Barger had come to the commissioner’s office concerned that she might lose employees due to high disparity in wages.

McLean added that Barger is not requesting her employes go up to deputy wages but to pay them as administrative assistants. Clerks/secretaries wage starts at approximately $12.28 an hour and after six months increases to $12.90, while an administrative assistant starting wage is $12.90 an hour and after six months is increases to $13.51, according to the wage matrix McLean said.

This position is important because “it’s one of those offices that if our Justice court can’t function, that really bottles up our legal system. It’s a pretty important personnel position as far as keeping things going,” she said.

McLean said the increase in wages will help Barger fill vacant positions and retain employees, which in the past the office has struggles with retaining employees.

“I consider her request valid and when I look at what the job entails to do I consider her request pretty valid,” McLean said.

Hill County Clerk and Recorder Susan Armstrong said if Barger’s request is approved she will put in a request for her employees, as well, because her employees are doing just as much work and are being paid the same amount as Barger’s.

“If you start moving secretaries up to administrative where do you cut it?” Armstrong said, adding, “because (all) are just as important.”

Commissioner Mike Wendland said he agrees with Armstrong that, if this request is approved, the commissioners will have to be prepared to increase everyone’s wages.

“I think by doing this … we’re opening up a real can of worms,” Wendland said. “I would not support this.”

“If we’re going to keep increasing wages, we’re going to have to cut somewhere else, and either that’s personnel or something like that,” he added.

Commission Chair Mark Peterson said Barger already has the money in her budget to pay for the change, and he believes the commission should approve it.

The commission approved a motion by McLean to table the discussion.

Peterson said the document listing Barger’s request was unavailable at the time of the meeting.

The agenda for the business meeting in last week’s calendar for the commission’s schedule this week did not specifically list a discussion of Barger’s request.

In an email to the Havre Daily News sent this morning, Barger said she was not informed that the commission would discuss her request.

“Consequently, I was unable to provide input at the discussion,” she said.

Barger said she had submitted a request to the commissioners to review the job descriptions and duties of her Justice Court clerks of court and the District Court deputy clerks of court.

The District Court deputy clerks of court are paid on a percentage of the clerk of court’s salary while her clerks are paid wages based on a step and grade schedule, Barger said.

“The skills, abilities, knowledge, responsibilities, and duties contained in the two clerk of court job descriptions are strikingly similar and the disparity in compensation is clear,” she said.

Barger said that this topic is important because when one of her two trained clerks of court leaves the position, it effects the court’s operations.

“I asked them to review the job descriptions and consider some options, if any exist, to remedy the disparity. This request was made to assist in recruitment and retention of clerks of court in Hill County Justice Court of Record,” she said.

She added that this request isn’t new, and she has asked for a review on the issue numerous times in the past.

Family Planning Contract

The new Family Planning contract was also reviewed at the meeting and was passed.

Peterson said Public Health Director Kim Larson had reviewed the document and said it was OK to sign.

McLean said some things needed clarification with the document, adding that the contract had to be reviewed and approved every year.

She said there were some issues, such as conflicting dates, that needed to be corrected.

McLean moved to approve the new contract and said she will contact Larson after the meeting about the budget to correct the document. The council unanimously approved the motion.

The approval of the contract was not listed in last week’s agenda for Thursday’s business meeting.

Fairboard Mill Levy

Armstrong submitted a resolution for a mill levy to fund the fairgrounds to go on the ballot in the election in November.

She said the document was submitted by the fair board for approval by the commission to request voter approval to levy taxes for the fairground’s operation.

If passed, the commission could levy up to an additional 4 mills, although it could be less or none, as needed for fairgrounds operation.

Armstrong said the document has to go through some final changes but needed the commissioner’s approval to be able to get it on the ballots.

“(It) has to be approved or disproved today because he has to have it in to me by Monday,” Armstrong said.

The document was assigned a resolution number during the meeting at request of the commissioners.

The commission approved the resolution, and Peterson said Armstrong would have to put the document in final form after the vote in order for the commissioners to sign later that evening.

The commissioners all had signed the final document by last night.

The vote on the resolution was not listed in last week’s agenda.

FAA grant contract

The commissioners also reviewed the FAA grant contract to work on the Havre City-County airport.

Wendland moved to concur with the city on the grant and the motion was passed.

Peterson said the federal government will provide $1,947,304 for airport improvement or noise program implementation and the airport board will be obligated for 10 percent, as stated in a separate contract which has already been signed.

Last week’s agenda did not list approval of the FAA grant contract.

Fire Ban effective today

The Hill County commissioners took action Thursday to adopt Stage 1 fire restrictions for Hill County effective today at 12:01 a.m., said Commissioner Chairman Mark Peterson.

The commission announced earlier this week the restrictions include a campfire ban in Beaver Creek Park.