Administration Committee — Agenda Packet

1 Sawyer County Administration Committee Meeting Thursday, February 12, 2026 @ 10:00 AM Sawyer County Board Room AGENDA 1. ZOOM LINK a. To view or participate in the virtual meeting from a computer, iPad, or Android device please go to https://zoom.us/j/92546130740. You can also use the dial in at 1-312-626-6799with the Webinar ID: 925 4613 0740. Use *9 to Raise/lower hand and *6 to Unmute/mute. If you are on a computer, click the "Raise Hand" button and wait to be recognized. If you are on a telephone, dial *9 and wait to be recognized. If additional assistance is needed please contact the County Clerk's Office at 715-634-4866 prior to the meeting. This meeting will be recorded and will be available on our website at: https://sawyercountygov.org. 2. CALL TO ORDER 3. ROLL CALL 4. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 5. CERTIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE WITH THE OPEN MEETINGS LAW 6. MEETING AGENDA 7. PUBLIC COMMENTS At this time, members of the public will be given the opportunity to address the Committee. Please adhere to the following when addressing the Committee: • Comments will be limited to 3 minutes or less per individual. • Comments should be directed to the Committee as a whole and not directed to individual Committee members. • The Committee cannot respond to your comments during this time. • Please sign in and fill out a public comment sheet if you wish to speak on an item. 8. CONSIDER APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETING a. Admin Draft Minutes 1.8.26 9. COUNTY CLERK REPORT a. County Clerk Department Report 10. VETERANS SERVICE OFFICE REPORT Page 1 of 14 2 a. Veteran Service Office Report 11. VETERANS TRIBUTE UPDATE a. Look at plans for park (Discussion and Possible Action) 12. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY REPORT a. IT Report 13. HUMAN RESOURCES REPORT a. HR Report 14. NAMEKAGON TRANSIT GARAGE ON COUNTY PROPERTY (DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION) 15. COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT 16. ELECTED OFFICIALS WAGE REVIEW (DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION) a. Resolution 2026-____ Elected Officials Wages 17. RESOLUTION 2026- ______ TO ESTABLISH MEMBERSHIP WITH MS-ISAC (DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION) a. Resolution 2026-______________to Establish Membership with MS-ISAC 18. BOARD APPOINTED COMMITTEE UPDATES 19. CORRESPONDENCE, REPORTS FROM CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS 20. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 21. ADJOURNMENT DISCLAIMER: A quorum of the County Board of Supervisors or of any of its committees may be present at this meeting to listen and observe. Neither the Board nor any of the committees have established attendance at this meeting as an official function of the Board or committee(s) or otherwise made a determination that attendance at the meeting is necessary to carry out the Board or committee’s function. The only purpose for other supervisors attending the meeting is to listen to the information presented. Neither the Board nor any committee (other than the committee providing this notice and agenda) will take any official action with respect to this noticed meeting. Page 2 of 14 3 Copy sent via email to: Committee Members, Associated Staff and News Media. Note: Any person wishing to attend whom, because of a disability, requires accommodation should call the Sawyer County Clerk’s Office (715.634.4866) at least 24 hours before the scheduled meeting so appropriate arrangements can be made. Page 3 of 14 Minutes of the Meeting of the January 8, 2026 Sawyer County Administration Committee of the Sawyer County Board of Supervisors Board Room; Sawyer County Voting Committee Members (X) Present: Others Present: Chair: Ron Kinsley Mike Markgren Vice Chair: Ron Buckholtz Liz Klein Tom Duffy Gary Elliot John Righeimer Mike Coleson Stacey Hessel Nicole Clapero Call to Order –Chair Ron Kinsley called the meeting to order at 10:00 am. Certification of Compliance with the open meeting law was met. Roll Call taken; quorum was met. Meeting Agenda – Set Public Comments – Linda Zillmer Minutes from the previous meeting dated: December 11, 2025 Motion to approve by: Ms. Hessel Second by: Mr. Righeimer Motion carried without negative vote. County Clerk Report- Ms. Klein provided a written department report. The department is working on end of year reporting for dog licenses, marriage licenses, and preparing 1099s. The candidates for the April election are being determined for the county, towns and school districts. There will not be a February Primary this year. Resolution 2026-1 Supervisory District Boundary Amendment was approved for action by County Board on a motion by: Mr. Righeimer Second by: Mr. Duffy Motion carried without negative vote. Veterans Service Office Report - Mr. Elliot provided a written report of December department activity: 450 phone calls, 823 letters/emails/faxes sent and 180 office visits. 194 disability claims were filed to date and $564,542.41 was awarded in Veterans’ favor. The department is co-hosting counseling sessions at La Crosse Vet Center, hosting Coffee & Conversation, and the social media report was provided. A new Combat Veteran session has been added for Iraq and Afghanistan Vets. Gary and Nicole dressed up as elves and visited Veterans in nursing homes with patriotic cookies (donated by Simply Sweet bakery, cards signed by the SC Sheriff’s Dept., and artwork donated by Drummond Elementary students. The VSO will be delivering Valentines for Veterans again this year. Veteran’s Tribute Update- Mr. Markgren reported that the core samples were taken Monday and the County is waiting for those results. Information Technology Department Report - Mr. Coleson provided a written IT report and discussed numbered options for recording meetings. Discussion about the pros and cons of live streaming meetings and posting the videos to YouTube included concerns about AI manipulation vs the benefit of having the information available to the public and County Board and staff. One option discussed was to remove videos from YouTube after 90-122 days. Page 4 of 14 Motion to keep it the same and go with #4 for Live Meetings with no change and #6 for Recordings with no restrictions by: Mr. Buckholtz Second by: Mr. Duffy Motion carried with one opposed. Human Resources Report - A written report was provided on staffing and recruiting for open positions within the county; there are three job openings currently. County Administrator Report— Mr. Markgren updated the committee on end of year finances, preparing for audit, and strategic planning progress. All five contracts for service with outside agencies have been returned signed; the Weiss and Winter Libraries were mailed contracts yesterday. Birkie event prep is starting. There is no update on the WOJB tower but the TGB has three members who will meet with the Public Works ad-hoc committee and it will be addressed there. Board Appointed Committee Updates – Namekagon Transit is interviewing three candidates for the manager position today. Correspondence, reports from conferences and meetings– Mr. Kinsley shared information from the Public Works Committee on the roads and stated the Department has already taken steps to improve winter storm response. Future Agenda Items- Veterans Tribute update Adjournment – 10:40 am Next Meeting: February 12, 2026 Time: 10:00 am Location: Board Room Minutes recorded by Liz Klein, County Clerk Page 5 of 14 County Clerk Department Monthly Report, Ending January 31, 2025 County Clerk Desk Activity/Revenue YTD: Activity Number of Licenses/Permits Total Revenue (including amounts sent to the State of Wisconsin Dog Licenses Late Fees (County Retains) $1355.00 $0.00 Marriage Licenses Clerk (County Retains) = $55/license Mediation = $20/license State = $25/license Waivers = $10/license $400.00 Plat Books Mailing Fee Map GL 218-00-42000 GL 218-00-42001 $99.00 $50.00 Copies $1.75 General Department Report: I certified ballot candidates for April 7 election; completed ballot layouts and placed ballot orders for 21 municipalities. Public records requests are coming in through my email via the website link and are being sent to the appropriate departments for response. I am filing any requests received in my email folders for record keeping. I worked with Counsel and Administration to refine the Notary Service policy for the protection of the staff and county. The policy is posted on the website and Clerk/Treasurer windows. We continue to update and improve our website page, working with IT on the records request links, and posting community news items and legal notices on the home page. With Admin permission I created a bulletin board in the main lobby for Senior Resources. I am attending the WCCO conference in Madison and a PIO training in Shell Lake in March. Page 6 of 14 Page 7 of 14 Page 1 of 2 __________________________________________________________________________________________________ February 12, 2026 To: Administration Committee Ron Kinsley, Ron Buckholtz, John Righeimer, Stacey Hessel, Thomas Duffy IT Department Report Agenda items: none Service Requests JANUARY Completed 68 Open 10 New requests Department January (misc) 2 Administration 4 Court 3 District Attorney 1 Health & Human Services 33 IT 1 Land Records/Survey 3 Maintenance 2 Register of Deeds 3 Sheriff 4 Treasurer 1 Veterans 2 Zoning and Conservation 5 TOTAL RECEIVED 64 Tasks completed • Provision additional storage for GIS fly-over mapping data (3” pixel resolution) • 3 PC installs • Onboarding/Terminations: 11 Tasks in progress • Novus updates o Zoning documents: move LOMA and POWTS documents into Laserfiche, just like the other Permit documents. o Permit streamlining o TRH modifications for 2026 Mike Coleson Sawyer County IT Director 10610 Main Street, Suite 58. - Hayward, WI 54843 Phone 715-634-8185 Email mcoleson@sawyercountygov.org Page 8 of 14 Page 2 of 2 o Ad Hoc reports for Zoning staff • Preparation for Birkie: remote phones and cameras. • Replace streaming service for jail TVs to eliminate unauthorized uses. • ADRC Dementia web content • Overtime report created for Fed requirements • Planning for ADA web site content compliance 2027 (software proposals) • Squad modem repairs • Network infrastructure maintenance o Firewall replacements for Courthouse, Ojibwa o VMWare server upgrade from version 7 to 8 Pending Tasks • Uniflow Cloud printing conversion • Email data backup. Currently not done. • Planning for 2027 phone system replacement Page 9 of 14 Sawyer County Human Resources February 2026 Report 2026 Turnover 1/10/2026 Joe Sajdera Sheriff Retired 1/11/2026 Amber Carter HHS FT 1/11/2026 Rhonda Hixon HHS FT 1/11/2026 Jennifer Baumgart HHS FT 1/11/2026 James Simms HHS FT 1/19/2026 Lukas Kirk Sheriff PT 1/20/2026 Riley Niebuhr Ambulance PT 1/21/2026 Josie Trossen Sheriff Resigned 1/26/2026 Trina Grandadam HHS PT Staffing Snapshot • Vacancies: 2 • New Hires: 7 • Separations: 2 • Pending Retirements: 2 Recruitment Activity Two employees have notified us of their intent to retire within the next couple of months, we will begin recruiting for these positions soon. We are actively recruiting for a part-time maintenance person and female jailers. We interviewed for the part-time EMS administrative assistant and will be making an offer, and we hired a full-time EMT and two full-time dispatchers. The employees from Transitions became Sawyer County employees rather than contracted employees. Employee Relations We continue to support department heads and employees with performance management, leave administration, workplace concerns, and accommodation requests. Policy and Compliance We will be routing a summary of proposed changes to our personnel manual for your review. Also, an entirely new safety manual will be routed for your initial review. . Page 10 of 14 1 SAWYER COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Resolution No. _________ RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING SALARIES OF, AND PROVIDING HEALTH INSURANCE INFORMATION REGARDING, ELECTED OFFICIALS WHEREAS , pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 59.22(1)(a), the salaries of the Sawyer County (“County”) Clerk of Court, and County Sheriff must be established by the County Board of Supervisors; and WHEREAS, Wis. Stat. § 59.22(1)(a) does not preclude adjustments to fringe benefits during the term of office, as confirmed in Cramer v. Eau Claire County, 2013 WI App 67; and WHEREAS, the County has an interest in establishing the salaries at a level that attracts public interest in attracting candidates to run for the positions; and WHEREAS , the County has offered health insurance benefits to elected officials under the same terms and conditions as management staff, as may be modified by the County from time to time; and WHEREAS, the County acknowledges that each elected county official must pay the Employee- Required Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) Contribution Rate, as such rate may be adjusted by the Employee Trust Fund Board; and WHEREAS, the County Administration and Finance Committees reviewed the information set forth below at its meeting on February 12, 2026 and recommended its adoption by the County Board of Supervisors. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED , the Sawyer County Board of Supervisors hereby establishes the salaries of the County Clerk of Court, and County Sheriff according to the below schedule for each year of the term and that health insurance be offered to elected officials under the same terms and conditions as offered to management staff, as may be modified by the County from time to time: Position 2027 2028 2029 2030 Clerk of Court $76,501 $78,414 $80,374 $82,384 County Sheriff $101,005 $103,530 $106,118 $108,771 FISCAL IMPACT Clerk of Court $12,058 $1,913 $1,960 $2,009 County Sheriff $15,921 $2,525 $2,588 $2,653 Total $27,979 $4,438 $4,549 $4,662 (These estimated costs include the fiscal impact of salaries only and do not include the fiscal impact of health insurance or any other fringe benefit, such as WRS contribution rates.) Page 11 of 14 2 Information contained in this Resolution was recommended for adoption by the Sawyer County Board of Supervisors at its meeting on February 19, 2026, by the Sawyer County Administration and Finance Committees on February 12, 2026. Administration Committee _ __________________________________ ________________________________ 3 1 Ron Kinsley, Chair Ron Buchholz, Vice Chair 3 3 __________________________________ ________________________________ John Righeimer, Member Stacey Hessel, Member 3 6 ____________________________________ 3 7 Tom Duffy, Member Finance Committee ___________________________________ _________________________________ John Righeimer, Chair Stacey Hessel, Vice Chair ___________________________________ _________________________________ Tom Duffy, Member Jeff Hoehne, Member ___________________________________ Marc Helwig, Member ____________________________________________________________________________ This Resolution is hereby adopted by the Sawyer County Board of Supervisors this 19th day of February, 2026. _____________________________________ __________________________________ Ron Kinsley, Liz Klein, Sawyer County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sawyer County Clerk Page 12 of 14 RESOLUTION NO. 2026- SUPPORTING WISCONSIN ESTABLISHING A MEMBERSHIP WITH THE MULTI-STATE INFORMATION SHARING AND ANALYSIS CENTER (MS- ISAC) WHEREAS, the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) provides vital cybersecurity services, including 24/7 threat monitoring, incident response, and cyber threat intelligence, to more than 18,000 state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) government organizations supporting the nation’s critical infrastructure, including public hospitals, public utilities, K-12 schools, and law enforcement; and WHEREAS, local governments—particularly rural and under-resourced counties—have relied heavily on MS-ISAC services to protect government systems, data, and public services; and WHEREAS, without MS-ISAC services, government organizations are increasingly vulnerable to cyber-attacks, including those originating from foreign adversaries; and WHEREAS, recent federal funding reductions to MS-ISAC have significantly weakened the nation’s overall cybersecurity defense posture; and WHEREAS, counties across Wisconsin have been required to seek alternative means to maintain cybersecurity protections following the loss of federal funding; and WHEREAS, MS-ISAC has indicated that membership fees paid by individual counties would be refunded or applied toward additional services should the State of Wisconsin establish a statewide membership in the future. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Sawyer County Board of Supervisors that Sawyer County supports the State of Wisconsin establishing a membership with the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) to cover the cost of membership for all State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) government organizations within Wisconsin. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Sawyer County Clerk is hereby authorized and directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the Governor of the State of Wisconsin, members of the Wisconsin Legislature, all Wisconsin counties, and the Wisconsin Counties Association for their consideration. This Resolution is recommended for adoption by the Sawyer County Board of Supervisors at its meeting on February 19, 2026, by this Sawyer County Administration Committee this 12th Day of February, 2026 _______________________________ ___________________________________ Ron Kinsley, Chair John Righeimer, Member Page 13 of 14 _______________________________ ___________________________________ Ron Buckholtz, Vice Chair Stacey Hessel, Member ________________________________ Thomas Duffy, Member ______________________________________________________________________________ This Resolution is hereby adopted by the Sawyer County Board of Supervisors this 19th day of February, 2026. _________________________________ ____________________________________ Ron Kinsley, Chair, Liz Klein, County Clerk Sawyer County Board of Supervisors Page 14 of 14