At a special meeting of the Wadena County Board of Commissioners held Dec. 29, one of the major topics of discussion was whether Wadena County should remain a member of the South Country Health Alliance (SCHA).

SCHA is the county-owned managed care organization that provides health insurance coverage to lowincome residents of 14 Minnesota counties, including Wadena and Todd counties.

Based in Owatonna, SCHA provides prepaid Medical Assistance, General Assistance Medical Care and other insurance to 25,000 people. The member counties pay for these services from tax revenues.

Some of the 14 counties currently belonging to SCHA are considering withdrawing from the organization, according to Commissioner Bill Stearns, who is Wadena County’s representative to the SCHA Joint Powers board of directors.

The organization has suffered from nearly constant cash-flow problems in its short life, resulting in calls to its member counties to make large payments to keep SCHA afloat.

County Social Services Director Paul Sailer told the board that in his opinion, after 10 years of existence the SCHA should be able to look at long-term goals and not just be in a constant state of financial chaos. He concluded, if SCHA cannot get beyond this point (looking only at the immediate problems), then “there is little benefit for us to remain a part of it.”

The board did not make any decision on Dec. 29, but did approve a resolution agreeing to let counties withdraw from the Joint Powers Board after April 30, 2010, if they wished to.

After the SCHA discussion, Interim Highway Department Head Jeff Adolphson appeared before the board with several items for the board to consider.

First, he asked the board to approve the county engineer job description, pay range, and advertisement for news media and websites. He indicated that the county’s Transportation Committee had reviewed the materials and made no changes. The board voted to approve the materials and begin advertising January 4, 2010, with applications to be accepted until January 29, 2010.

Second, he asked the board to approve the filling of the highway department position at the Menahga Shop. Perry Schmidt is to be hired effective Jan. 4. He also asked the board to approve the filling of the Maintenance III position at the Sebeka Shop through the established Eligibility List. The board approved both requests.

Third, Adolphson and Deana Skov, Planning and Zoning and Parks Director, explained the possibility of an employee position shared between the Highway Department and Planning and Zoning Department. Adolphson and Skov would like employee Gina Dahms to work 50 percent for each department, and be paid 50 percent from General Revenue and 50 percent from Highway. Dahms currently carries out some duties for the highway department, including working with the GPS (global positioning system), marking driveways for E-911 signs, and assisting the county land surveyor. The board voted to approve the position, and asked management consultant Mike Gibson to conduct

a Pay Equity Study to determine the appropriate grade and step for the position.

The study will be paid for from the highway department budget.

Fourth, Skov asked for approval to replace administrative assistant Tammy Ehrmantraut, who recently accepted a full-time position at the Solid Waste Department. The board approved posting in-house and advertising for the full-time Zoning and Parks Department position vacated by Ehrmantraut.

In other matters, the board

o APPROVED budget rollovers to 2010 for three line items in the Highway Department budget.

o APPROVED the plans and specifications for a pavement marking project that will be paid from federal money. t.

o APPROVED the 2010 county budget

o APPROVED a change to the county policy manual, to include a provision to cover situations where an employee was asked to assume duties on a temporary basis that were out of the employee’s current job classification and of a higher grade or step. Employees who accepted such duties will be paid a 10percent wage increase for the time that they assume the temporary duties.

o APPROVED a 10 percent wage increase for Jeff Adolphson, who has assumed some of the duties of the county engineer on a temporary basis; approved a 10 percent wage increase for Joe Pierce, who has assumed some of the duties of a foreman, during the medical leave of the highway department foreman.

o APPROVED the increase in the 4-H coordinator position from half time to three-quartertime for 2010.