PERSONNEL COMMITTEE
MEETING MINUTES
NOVEMBER 13, 2001
A special meeting of the Chippewa County Board of Commissioners' Personnel Committee was held on
Tuesday, November 13, 2001 at the Chippewa County Courthouse in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The
meeting was called to order by Chairman Hopper at 5:30 p.m. with a quorum present.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Aaron Hopper, Chairman, Bernard LaJoie, Ted Postula
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Tim Dolehanty, County Controller
Additions / Deletions to the Agenda
Chairman Hopper called for additions or deletions to the agenda. Hearing none, the agenda was declared
approved as presented.
Public Comments
There were no public comments.
Correspondence and Information Items
No correspondence or information items were presented.
Agenda Items: Draft Personnel Policy
Chairman Hopper lead discussion about the draft personnel policy. He recommended several changes to
the proposed text to accurately reflect current practices of the County. The Committee discussed to merits
ofsuch a policy and concluded that its adoption will benefit both the County and the staff.
It was moved by Commissioner LaJoie, supported by Commissioner Postula, to circulate the
amendeddraft personnel policy among board members and to recommend its approval at the
December 10 board meeting. On a voice vote, the motion was CARRIED.
Collective Bargaining Strategies
It was moved by Commissioner LaJoie, supported by Commissioner Postula, to enter into a closed
session to discuss strategies connected with the negotiation of a collective bargaining agreement with
the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO Local 1552 of
Michigan, pursuant to Section 8(c) of the Open Meetings Act, Act 267, P.A. 1976, as amended, being
MCL 15.268(c). A roll call vote was taken as follows: Hopper - Yes; LaJoie - Yes; Postula - Yes.
Motion CARRIED.
It was moved by Commissioner Postula, supported by Commissioner LaJoie, to resume the open
session meeting of the Personnel Committee. A roll call vote was taken as follows: LaJoie - Yes;
Postula - Yes; Hopper - Yes. Motion CARRIED.
Public Comments
There were no public comments.
Committee Comments
There were no additional Committee member comments.
Chairperson's Comments
Chairman Hopper had no addition comments.
Adjourn
It was moved by Commissioner Postula, supported by Commissioner LaJoie, to adjourn the meeting.
On a voice vote, the motion was CARRIED.
Chairman Hopper declared the meeting adjourned at 6:23 p.m.
__________________________________ __________________________________
Timothy J. Dolehanty, AICP, Recorder Aaron Hopper, Committee Chairman
PERSONNEL COMMITTEE
MEETING MINUTES
December 3, 2001
A regular meeting of the Chippewa County Board of Commissioners' Personnel Committee was held on
Monday, December 3, 2001 at the Chippewa County Courthouse in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The meeting
was called to order by Chairman Hopper at 4:00 p.m. with a quorum present.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Aaron Hopper, Chairman, Bernard LaJoie, Ted Postula
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Tim Dolehanty, County Controller, Hon. Michael MacDonald, District
Court Judge, Diane Cork, County Clerk, Marilyn McDonald, Treasurer, Sharon Kennedy, Register of Deeds
Additions / Deletions to the Agenda
Chairman Hopper called for additions or deletions to the agenda. Hearing none, the agenda was declared
approved as amended.
Public Comments
There were no public comments.
Correspondence and Information Items
No correspondence or information items were presented.
Agenda Items: Court Administrator Position Review
Controller Dolehanty reviewed the status of the request to review the District Court and Circuit Court
Administrator Positions. The matter was referred by the Finance Committee on September 27.
District Court Judge Michael MacDonald reviewed the history of pay grades associated with the court
administrator positions. As a result of the most recent pay study, the consultant assured the Courts that any
disparity among the court administrator pay levels would be corrected upon the retirement of one of
administrators. That adjustment did not occur as predicted by the consultant.
The Committee discussed the duties of each Court Administrator and agreed that the duties of the Probate
Court Administrator are more substantial. The lack of a formal review and scoring process was discussed
and it was agreed that the Controller would develop such a procedure for consideration at the next meeting.
In the mean time, the Committee agreed that adjusting the District and Circuit Court Administrators to grade
12 could be justified. It was believed that the job duties of the Court Administrators were comparable to
other grade 12 positions.
It was moved by Commissioner LaJoie, supported by Commissioner Postula, to forward this issue to
the Finance, Claims and Accounts Committee with the recommendation to adjust the pay grade of the
District and Circuit Court Administrators to grade 12, effective January 1, 2002. On a voice vote, the
motion was CARRIED.
Position Description: Legal Secretary II
Controller Dolehanty explained that the changes proposed in the draft Legal Secretary II position description
reflect changes discussed as a result of the recent reclassification. The Prosecuting Attorney reviewed the
draft and recommended approval.
It was moved by Commissioner LaJoie, supported by Commissioner Postula, to recommend approval
the draft Legal Secretary II position description as presented. On a voice vote, the motion was
CARRIED.
Position Description: Victim Advocate
Controller Dolehanty reported that the proposed Victim Advocate position description would be necessary
if the Victim Advocate and Office Manager positions in the Prosecuting Attorney's office are separated.
Prosecutor Peppler was scheduled to appear before the Finance, Claims and Accounts Committee on
December 6 with a request to make the Victim Advocate position full time. He reviewed the draft Victim
Advocate position description and recommended approval.
It was moved by Commissioner LaJoie, supported by Commissioner Postula, to recommend approval
the draft Victim Advocate position description as presented. On a voice vote, the motion was
CARRIED.
Position Description: Family Support Coordinator
Controller Dolehanty explained that the draft Family Support Coordinator position description is the result
of a recent reclassification request. The position is currently classified as Legal Secretary I. As permitted
in the AFSCME union contract, the employee petitioned for a change in classification that would accurately
reflect the work performed. The position is currently funded through grants targeting family support services
and the compensation rate would remain the same if the draft description was adopted. The Prosecuting
Attorney reviewed the draft and recommended approval.
It was moved by Commissioner LaJoie, supported by Commissioner Postula, to recommend approval
the draft Family Support Coordinator position description as presented. On a voice vote, the motion
was CARRIED.
Position Description: District Court Administrator
Controller Dolehanty reviewed the request from District Court Judge Michael MacDonald include
responsibilities of Court Security Coordinator on the Court Administrator position description. By order of
the Michigan Supreme Court, the responsibilities of the Court Security Coordinator must be assigned to an
employee of the Court.
It was moved by Commissioner LaJoie, supported by Commissioner Postula, to recommend approval
the draft Court Administrator position description as presented. On a voice vote, the motion was
CARRIED.
Wage / Salary Proposals: Part-Time Employees
The Controller reintroduced a correspondence received earlier this year from the Sheriff requesting review
of the wages paid to community corrections officers. The lack of a consistent structure to pay part-time
employees was also discussed. It was agreed that compensation for part-time employees should be included
on the official pay scale for the County.
Commissioner LaJoie questioned how the County should determine the appropriate pay grade for part time
employees. The Committee agreed that the formula proposed in the draft personnel policy would be
sufficient. If the affected employee's current pay is less than or falls within the range for the new pay grade,
it could be adjusted to the step which provides for at least a 4.5% increase. However, the combination of
rate increases would not exceed 10%. Future pay increases would be dependant upon the number of hours
actually worked, thereby keeping compensation rates consistent among all employees.
A review of the current pay rates revealed grade 6 as the lowest active pay level. The Committee agreed that
it would appropriate to use this level for the community corrections officers.
It was moved by Commissioner Postula, supported by Commissioner LaJoie, to forward this issue to
the Finance, Claims and Accounts Committee with the recommendation to establish the pay grade of
the part-time community corrections officers at grade 6, effective January 1, 2002. On a voice vote,
the motion was CARRIED.
Wage / Salary Proposals: Elected Officers
The County Clerk, Treasurer and Register of Deeds appeared before the Committee to request an adjustment
in their respective salaries and the salaries of their chief deputies. They stated their position that the 1999
salary study was lacking in some respects, including placement of some employees on the various pay
grades.
Considerable discussion was heard regarding salary and wage parity. The Committee agreed to continue the
discussion at their next meeting in order to allow time to adequately research the matter.
Public Comments
There were no public comments.
Committee Comments
There were no additional Committee member comments.
Chairperson's Comments
Chairman Hopper had no addition comments.
Adjourn
It was moved by Commissioner LaJoie, supported by Commissioner Postula, to adjourn the meeting.
On a voice vote, the motion was CARRIED.
Chairman Hopper declared the meeting adjourned at 5:45 p.m.
__________________________________ __________________________________
Timothy J. Dolehanty, AICP, Recorder Aaron Hopper, Committee Chairman