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Cass facing $1M shortfall, votes layoffs CASS COUNTY BOARD Cass County Correspondent WALKER - The Cass County Board voted Tuesday to lay off five employees effective immediately as a beginning for budget cuts designed to offset an anticipated $1 million shortfall.
The positions include one environmental services permit intake clerk, one intern and one field resource specialist, plus a child protection social worker and a temporary highway department shop worker.
Environmental services staff was hit hardest with early layoffs because new construction permits are down significantly with the construction industry in a slump.
The board personnel committee also recommended the board evaluate Jan. 1, 2009, whether to lay off another ESD resource specialist. An auditor-treasurer office retirement expected Feb. 1, 2009, will not be replaced.
The committee also recommended the board consider eliminating, combining positions or not continuing to have an assistant director in departments where a department head retires. Departments where the department head will be eligible to retire within the next year or two include Health, Human and Veterans Services, Land Department and Assessing Department. The committee also recommended reorganizing HHVS supervisor structure in the event supervisors retire. HHVS currently has 10 divisional supervisors.
When a highway department heavy equipment operator retires within the next yea, that position may be left vacant, with the retiree likely being hired on an on-call basis for snowplowing only. A vacant highway department land surveyor position will be left open.
Two sheriff's jailer positions have been eliminated by attrition. The number of inmates at the jail in Walker is down. Most Cass prisoners now are being boarded in the newer Cass jail wing at Crow Wing County.
Administrator Robert Yochum informed the board the three of six county employee bargain units he has contacted so far have opposed re-opening negotiations on their three-year contracts, which started this year.
This means some cost saving measures department heads suggested to Yochum would not be possible, because contracts would have to be changed.
Contracts do permit flexible employee scheduling and would permit the county to allow partial week telecommuting for some employees. The board has asked Yochum and department heads to consider this option only where cost savings to the county as could be demonstrated.
Copy machines and printers will be shared. Electronic equipment will be shut off at night. Board of Adjustment and Planning Commission members will do on-site inspections only within their district, then share their observations with other board members. Until now, most members have inspected all properties their boards consider.
Personal heaters by desks will be banned.
After evaluating options, Yochum said at this time it does not appear cost effective enough to close the courthouse one day a week and have employees work 10-hour days, nor does it appear there would be a cost savings from offering early retirement options to employees.
The commissioners voted to increase the garbage hauler tipping fee effective immediately to $65.78 per ton to cover fuel surcharges the county now pays to have garbage hauled from the transfer station at Pine River to landfills in Elk River and Gwinner, N.D.
They voted to allow employees and appointed commission members to collect the IRS higher mileage reimbursement rate of 58.5 cents per mile the second half of this year and raised the rate given employees who use their own car when a county car is available to 29 cents. This will cost about $14,000 more than budgeted for the second half of 2008, Yochum said.
A .7 full-time equivalent public health nurse position and a child support enforcement aide position will be left vacant.
The board voted to advertise the former Community Resource Center (former Shopping Block) building at Pine River for sale after learning that state statutes do not permit the county to gift the property to the Pine River Family Center. The family center may bid to purchase the building, however, or the county can continue to lease it to the family center.
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