WASHINGTON CO. COMMISSIONERS PURCHASE RECORDS MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE, APPROVE LAW ENFORCEMENT CERTIFICATION PAY

  

Washington County Commissioners moved today (Tuesday) to purchase new records management software for the county clerk’s office.

County Clerk Nicholas Prenzler said the new Tyler Technologies software for land and vital records is “a major upgrade” from the county’s current software, which was originally purchased in 2008.  He said it should offer simpler ease of use for the public and county employees.

The purchase comes from the county clerk’s records management fund, by way of fees collected from court case filings and public records filings.  Prenzler said all costs, including conversion, implementation and yearly maintenance, will come from that fund. 

The contract total is for $146,923, including a one-time cost of $64,207 and recurring annual fees over three years for $24,472, $28,429, and $29,815.

Also at today’s meeting, commissioners moved 4-1 to approve adding civil process proficiency certification pay to eligible constable’s office positions and telecommunicators certification pay to eligible positions in the sheriff’s office. 

Currently, the civil process proficiency certification pay of $1,000 annually would apply to one constable’s office employee, with the possibility of a second next year.  Precinct 1 Constable Ken Holle said he would cover a shortfall of $200 if that second employee becomes eligible before the current fiscal year concludes. 

As for the telecommunicator certification pay, two sheriff’s office administrative assistants are eligible, with Sheriff Trey Holleway stating they are required to hold basic telecommunicator certification for the purpose of interacting with state and federal databases, which he said is necessary for the job they do.  The certification levels of intermediate, advanced and master carry annual bonuses of $600, $1,200 and $1,800, respectively. 

Commissioner Dustin Majewski voted against adding the certification pay, arguing that the court has committed to doing a salary survey to make needed pay adjustments, and that there are already mechanisms in place with merit pay to incentivize and reward employees.  He also believes that if a job requires a certain certification, the base pay should reflect that.

The court intends to come back to the discussion on the county’s compensation and incentive structure during next year’s budget cycle.

In related action, commissioners unanimously approved an amendment to the county’s Proficiency Certificate and Incentive Pay program, combining the newly approved certifications into one program and outlining the eligibility requirements.

In other business, the court:

• Approved changing the administrator of the non-consent wrecker contract from the Precinct 1 Constable’s Office to the sheriff’s office.
• Approved a resolution to cast votes for election of the Washington County Appraisal District Board of Directors.  The 1,521 available votes will be split between board members John Schaer Jr. (305), Joseph W. Antkowiak (304), Leslie Boehnemann Jr. (304), Douglas Borchardt (304) and Halee Stark Kalkhake (304). 
• Accepted the 2024 annual comprehensive financial report from the outside auditing firm, Singleton, Clark & Company, PC.
• Approved the renewal of an interlocal agreement between the county and the Regional Public Defender Office Local Government Corporation for capital cases.
• Heard monthly reports from the sheriff's office, county and district clerks, justices of the peace, auditor, tax assessor-collector, treasurer, constables, elections, and veterans service office.
• Read a proclamation declaring December 13^th as National Wreaths Across America Day in Washington County.