Committee backs hiring new county administrator

A special committee will recommend to the Trempealeau County board that it hire an administrator who would also serve as human resources director.

Structuring the county to be managed by an administrator has been proposed and rejected several times over the years, but special committee chairman, Dan Schreiner, said at the group’s possible final meeting Monday that this time he is “cautiously optimistic.”

“There are six votes here,” he said of the committee membership, “so we just need three more. I know of at least two noes, so there are possibly more.”

Approving the position would require nine yes votes. The proposal is scheduled to be before the county board Monday.

Previous objections to county administrator have ranged from the cost to concerns by some supervisors that they would lose influence over county operations. Under an administrator structure, department heads would report to the new position instead of to various oversight committees populated by board members.

The county board approved forming the special committee in January. At the same time, it designated Rick Niemeier as county coordinator. County coordinators have more narrowly defined duties than administrators. Niemeier, who also lists corporation counsel and human resources director among his titles, reportedly is interested in the administrator role and has not participated in the special committee’s work.

In its presentation to the board, committee members will show that combining the administrator and personnel positions will lessen the hit on the county’s budget. According to the committee’s data, for instance, the median salary for an administrator is $158,750, while the median salary for Trempealeau County human resources director is $96,720.

Supervisor Stacey Klein said previous attempts at hiring an administrator have “run into misinformation” and that the post will actually bring down county costs.

Klein and Supervisor Dawn Waldera will be joined by two Wisconsin County Association advisors to make the presentation to the board.

The resolution to be presented to the county board includes a provision to hire, for $20,000, the Public Administration Association to help shape the job description, set salary, recruit candidates and integrate the new role into the county. The special committee also recommends that a committee be formed to help with the hiring process.

Should activities unfold as the committee is recommending, the new administrator would start the position in February 2024.