News

Posted in: News
Consultant Recommendation: No Layoffs Preferred, Two at Most in Road Dept.
By Mitch Traphagen
Jun 12, 2008 - 9:24:44 PM

Only a small part of the East Iowa Herald is on the Web.
For the best in East Iowa news and features click here to subscribe!

Editor’s Note:  Except for public officials, names were not used in this story to protect privacy.  It is the editor’s opinion that publishing the names of private citizens, particularly employees of the road department, is not relevant to the story.  Their statements and opinions, however, are considered relevant.

Iowa County Human Resources consultant Paul Greufe pauses while the Iowa County Supervisors read his report on possible layoffs in the road department. Mitch Traphagen Photo

MARENGO - Two weeks ago the Iowa County Supervisors asked county human resources consultant Paul Greufe to work with county engineer JinYeene Neumann to evaluate the Secondary Roads Department for the possible elimination of three positions.  On Tuesday, with a dozen onlookers filling the meeting room, Greufe presented the results of his analysis.

“There isn’t anyone who isn’t doing something,” he said of road department employees.  “Any layoff will have an impact on Iowa County.”

According to Greufe, any future layoffs will result in a lowering of services to the citizens of the county.  And although such a condition may exist, Greufe determined that eliminating two specific positions will have the least effect on the operations of the Secondary Roads Department.

“It is my determination that the Vegetation Manager / Weed Commissioner position could be reduced with the least impact to Iowa County,” he said.  “If reduced, the duties of this position would need to be transferred to existing staff.  Several staff have the certifications necessary to meet the state regulations for the position.  The potential yearly cost savings is estimated at $58,930.”

The cost savings includes the salary and all benefits involved with the position.

“The Engineering Specialist II position could be reduced with some impact to Iowa County,” Greufe continued.  If reduced, the duties of this position would need to be transferred to existing staff.  Additionally, the surveying work performed by this position may need to be outsourced in the short term, until existing staff could transition into this responsibility.  It is my determination that even with outsourcing, this would result in a positive financial outcome for Iowa County.  The potential yearly cost savings is estimated at $49,668.”

Again, the total includes the salary and all benefits.

In order to meet the supervisor’s request, Greufe did name a third position, that of Parts Person, for possible elimination.  Greufe stated, however, that the risks associated with eliminating the position could exceed the cost savings due to potential equipment maintenance issues.  Greufe did not recommend the position be eliminated.

There was a long period of silence at the conclusion of his presentation as the four supervisors in attendance at the meeting, Ray Garringer, Linda Yoder, Bill Keegan and Charles Montross appeared to weigh Greufe’s words - and, seemingly, the impact of any decisions to come.

One road department employee stated that if the county doesn’t need those people now, they probably shouldn’t have hired them in the first place.  He also asked the board, “Who is going to pick up the work of the people you lay off?”

Supervisor Yoder commented that the board of supervisors has left the possibility of layoffs hanging over the heads of road department employees for several years.

“We need to make a decision about whether there are going to be layoffs or not so the employees don’t have to hear about it every six months,” she said.  “It needs to stop.”
To that, Supervisor Garringer replied, “We could lay off five people today and it may not stop because we don’t know what is going to happen next year.”

According to Garringer, the current situation is largely the result of state mandated rollbacks on property taxes.

Yoder has spent the past several weeks studying other counties facing similar circumstances.  She mentioned one county that eliminated eight positions over a five-year period without resorting to layoffs.  In that county, positions were simply not filled upon employee retirements.
Greufe also recommended that one position, that of the Dragline Operator, be reclassified as a Machine Operator.  The estimated cost savings for that would be approximately $873.

“I think this study is a good tool for us to look at the Road Department as a whole, and be able to base any decisions on facts,” Garringer said afterwards.  “The study also gave the Road Department itself a chance to look at how they do business and look for ways to cut spending.”

According to Greufe’s analysis, the total savings of eliminating the two positions would be $109,471.  One estimate has suggested the county may need to reduce costs by as much as $200,000.

For the road department employees, the stakes, of course, are high and personal.  As the onlookers filed out of the meeting room, one man was heard saying, “That was my job they were talking about…”



© Copyright 2008 by The East Iowa Herald