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Price County Administration Committee Meeting Minutes Date: August 11, 2026 Time: 9:00 a.m. Place: Courthouse County Board Room 101; 126 Cherry St; Phillips, WI 54555 Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 9:00 a.m. by Dennis Wartgow, Committee Chairperson . Roll Call Members Present: Joe Baratka, Paula Houdek, Preston Sheuermann, Jeff Ulrich, Dennis Wartgow Also Present: Jennifer Miller, County Human Resources Manager; Nick Trimner, County Administrator Items For Discussion and Possible Action 1. Public Comment and Communications: None. 2. Meeting Minutes from June 9, 2026 Motion Houdek/Ulrich to accept the June 9, 2026, meeting minutes as presented. Motion carried. 3. Employ ee Status Updates New Hires, Promotions, & Reassignments • Madeline Bourgard – Behavioral Health Social Worker 08/3/2026 • Miranda Jones – Administrative Assistant Child Support 08/10/2026 Terminations, Resignations, & Retirements • Kaitlin Kirchmeyer – Behavioral Health Social Worker 06/26/2026 • Megan Norris – Corporation Counsel 07/09/2026 • Jacob Lex – Deputy Sheriff 07/16/2026 • Zachary Stendahl – Highway Operator 07/30/2026 • Luke Bogdanovich – Forester 08/06/2026 • Richard Patrie – Parks and Forest Technician 12/17/2026 Recruitments • Mechanic – Discussion at Highway Committee about the position as one or more openings and comparing it with other Counties. • Behavioral Health Social Worker – State funded positions. • Behavioral Health Social Worker CLTS/CCS – State funded positions. There is an option to obtain a social worker certification as a new hire for the job. • Corporation Counsel – T he position is temporarily outsourced through Slaby Deda Law Offices. There is also a law firm specialized for Human Resources. • Deputy Sheriff – Recruiting . • Economic Support Specialist – Recruiting. Health and Human Services offered one person from the County a state-funded position, a positive gain locally. • Forester - Recruiting. • Highway Operator - Recruiting. • Parks and Forest Technician- Recruiting. • Part-time Deputy S heriff - Interviewees for full-time positions are first asked if they would consider part-time positions. • Part-time Corrections Officer/Dispatcher - Interviewees for full-t ime positions are asked if they would first consider part-time positions. A 20-week program is available through the County for law enforcement certification • Substitute Nutrition Site Manager - This position offers substitution for backup for meal site management and delivery. Discussion on exit interviews and worker retention. 4. Employee Benefits 2027 a. Health Insurance: Some changes are possible in the employee premium but very minimal in amount as compared to the market; the County is self-i nsured and it’s a good savings. Taylored Health provider saves the County money at about 1/3 of the cost of other health systems. It is locally accessible and appointments are readily available. Administration Committee sets health insurance premiums and deductibles at the October meeting, and employee open enrollment will follow. Possibly changing the vision plan provider and the number of free vision checks may change. b. Voluntary Benefits: Looking at alternatives for voluntary benefits for vision and dental. Ameritas came in cheaper than Delta for Dental. Looking at Allstate for life insurance. Looking into voluntary long-term accident insurance. Proposed group life insurance. c. Perks: Presented a positive overview of the County Lifestyle Perks popular program, and the incentive program for Highway Department Employees. d. Group Life Insurance Benefit: Group life insurance is one potential benefit and the committee agreed that administration should investigate adding it for County employees. e. Employee Benefits Fair (October 21, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.): A number of booths will be set up at the fair for employees to ask questions for their health insurance program and other providers. 5. 2027 Budget – Wage Increase: Discussion on a two-p ercent increase in wages for the 2027 budget as a starting point. There is a potential for a majority of employees to earn three-percent, and a pos sibility for employees past step 10 to earn only two-percent. T hat will be looked into. 6. Employee H andbook a. Section 54 – Artificial Intelligence Policy (AI): The County holds three licenses for corporate Artificial Intelligence platforms. It was recommended to update the current AI Policy in the Employee Handbook and revisit it annually, bec ause it is a rapidly evolving technology. 7. Next Meeting Date: September 8, 2026 8. Adjourn: Meeting adjourned at 10:03 a.m. by Dennis Wartgow, Committee Chairperson. Respec tfully Submitted by Meredith Hueckman, County Clerk