County leaders discuss hiring HR department

OREGON — A short discussion during Tuesday’s Ogle County Board meeting regarding creating a human resource manager position revealed proponents for and against the idea.

The proposed job description, which includes an annual salary range of $80,000 to $100,000 with no overtime, was shared with Ogle County Board members April 19, but no vote was taken. A Human Resources Task Force put together the proposal, but task force Chairperson Lou Finch was unable to attend the county board meeting to do a full presentation.

“The task force did a great job, so if you’ve got any questions, ask,” board member John “Skip” Kenney said. “It’ll go back around and then we’ll deal with it.”

Kenny was not part of the task force.

Ogle County has more than 100 employees — possibly closer to 200 — and there are roughly 14 departments, board member Wayne Reising said. Of those, only five departments have personnel answerable to the county board, he said.

The elected officials who oversee the other departments can do as they see fit, Reising pointed out.

“We’re about to hire somebody for $80,000 to $100,000, but their scope is going to be very limited as to the employees that are in the county,” he said.

Reising also expressed concern about how the position would be funded a few years in the future.

“We’re making a commitment that I don’t see we have a way to support down the line,” he said.

The hope is that hiring a human resources manager would save the county money because it would eliminate the need to pay several third-party companies, said board member Bruce Larson, who was part of the HR Task Force. Furthermore, it likely would be a three-year contract, which would offer a set point to reevaluate the position’s usefulness.

“If, at the end, this doesn’t pan out to save the county money, we probably wouldn’t continue,” Larson said.

County board Chairperson John Finfrock added that, even if a department is headed by an elected official, that doesn’t mean they couldn’t utilize the knowledge of a human resource manager.

“At least we’re making the resource available to them,” he said.

County board members likely will make a decision regarding the position at their May 17 meeting.

ARPA fund allocations

A total of $73,446.63 of American Rescue Plan Act monies were allocated to several projects, including asbestos abatement at a cost not to exceed $20,000.

Planning and Zoning Department:

• Planning Commission education/training sessions, $500;
• Planning Commission annual membership, $50;
• Advertisement, $342.

IT Department:

• Software conversion, $12,350;
• Processors for unified central server, $25,420.

Health Department:

• Office supplies, $12,500;
• Global Industrial expandable starter rack, $520.89;
• Expandable add-on rack, $462.95;
• Storage cabinet and turn handle, $808.01;
• Shipping and handling, $492.87.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to remove incorrect information regarding salary increases for certain elected officials. — April 21, 2022, at 6 p.m.