Supervisors agree to hire human resources assistant

VINTON — After two days of arguments, the Benton County Board of Supervisors agreed to let the part-time human resources assistant begin work before the next fiscal year.

Human Resources Director Susan Wilber asked to hire Julia Biery as a part-time assistant for human resources at $15 per hour with a start date of June 3.

Benton County Auditor Hayley Rippel wanted to be sure there was money in the current budget to cover the cost.

Former auditor Jill Marlow said an Iowa Association of Counties survey showed that 27 counties of 99 counties have human resources offices and a few have assistants.

Benton County is 24th in population and 14th in pay for human resources, Marlow said.

Marlow raised questions about when the position for assistant was approved and what the job description is.

“If we’re going to lower levies next year, as you said at the budget hearing, you’ve got to start controlling your expenses now,” Marlow told the board.

The board needs to do research to see if that position is really needed, Marlow said.

The board has had a lot of issues with human resources reporting to the supervisors under the open meetings law. She suggested moving the position to the auditor’s office.

“Maybe we need to start thinking outside the box,” she said.

Supervisor Richard Primmer said that the three supervisors collectively, as a board, instructed the human resources director to look for an assistant.

Marlow asked if this was one in open session. Primmer said this was done in the human resources review.

Wilber said that during meetings prior to the hiring of a human resources director, supervisors mentioned having two people in the office.

Marlow said the item was never on the agenda. and said the agenda is to provide reasonable notification to the public what the board is going to discuss.

The addition of an assistant was never approved in open session, Marlow said.

Supervisor Tracy Seeman asked if human resources needed an assistant already. Wilber said yes, definitely. She said there are plenty of things they need to get done.

Recorder Lexa Speidel said that Benton County has had plenty of departments for years that worked without a part-time assistant. Speidel tries to keep her budget as low as possible, she said.

Former Benton County Attorney David Thompson reminded the board that when they started the human resources process more than two years ago, there was a hiring committee. Seeman was on the committee.

The committee told the board that there was so much to do that the human resources director would probably need an assistant.

The committee decided they would let Kirsten Nelson, who was first hired as director, get up to speed and determine what she needed.

It seems like this is all ancient history, Thompson said. He didn’t know the exact date, “But it was approved,” Thompson said.

The county struggled through COVID, brought on by the “open rebellion” of two elected officials to any policy that the board tried to adopt, Thompson said. “And that has continued to this day.”

“This full-court press against this HR director is ridiculous,” Thompson said.

The human resources director is being “thrown under the bus,” Thompson said, for saying, “I think we should follow the law. What a foreign concept in Benton County.”

“Might I also remind you of all of the mistakes and all the harassment that started with COVID from two elected officials, and is continuing to this day,” Thompson said.

“And that’s why you have lawsuits. That’s why you have more lawsuits out there that are pending that you haven’t disclosed to the public yet.”

“This county needs HR,” Thompson said. He wondered why the hiring of a part-time intern is the biggest issue in the county.

The matter was tabled to May 29, so the board could look at the current budget. This would come after training with the Iowa Public Information Board.

May 29

During Wednesday’s meeting, the supervisors looked at the human resources budget and had further discussion about where personnel files are stored.

Primmer steered discussion back to hiring a part-time assistant. The county is under budget, he said.

Primmer estimated that the human resources office can cover the estimated $900 for the assistant’s pay for the three weeks left in this year’s budget.

Rippel asked about the precedent set by having an office spend more as the fiscal year ends.

Primmer said that’s been done for many years prior to this board coming on.

Rippel said that if Wilber quit taking duties outside her office, she wouldn’t be too busy.

Wilber said she is just following her job description.

Her employees are following their descriptions too, said Rippel.

Primmer asked for a motion. After silence, Primmer said, “We’ve made decisions on spending bigger money much quicker.”

Seeman said he wanted to make sure the human resources budget would cover the cost.

Even though it is in her budget, they had agreed to starting the job July 1, the start of the new fiscal year.

Bierschenk said he didn’t know what the big deal was about three weeks. “I’ll do whatever you guys want to do,” Bierschenk said.

“I don’t really care. Three weeks? It’s not that big of deal.”

Primmer made the motion to authorize Wilber to hire the assistant and bring her on board. “She’s got the money in there,” he said.

“The chair can do that. We need to get moved off dead center.” Bierschenk seconded the motion and all three supervisors voted in favor.