Lee Pulaski, lpulaski@shawanoleader.com
Tom Madsen
Tom Madsen might need to reapply for his job, if the Shawano County Board approves a resolution changing the administrative coordinator job from part time to full time.
The Administrative Committee voted unanimously Monday to draft a resolution for the County Board to make the position full time, which it had been until two years ago, when Frank Pascarella left the position. At the time, the committee and the County Board voted to make it a part-time position of 25 to 30 hours per week.
The situation has changed, however, with the county implementing a wage study and considering whether to merge the Social Services and Community Programs departments into a Human Services Department.
Supervisor Gene Hoppe noted that Charlie Carlson, a consultant assisting with the wage study, and Dan Borowski, a consultant for the revamped employee handbook, both recommended that the county make the administrative coordinator a full-time position.
“If we’re going to run the county, we’re going to need to make sure we have the right tools,” Hoppe said. “A full-time administrative coordinator is probably what we need. I know it’s an extra expense.”
Madsen is working about 35 to 40 hours per week, he told the committee Monday, but only gets paid for 25 hours per week at a rate of $40.60 an hour. Madsen’s salary is $52,780 annually.
“I don’t have a dog in this hunt. This is your decision,” Madsen said.
Committee members also said if the position is made full time, the recruitment process should be opened to ensure the county has the best candidate for the job.
Madsen said he had no objections to being a full-time coordinator, but Supervisor Jerry Erdmann said that “more than half of the board” would object to making the position full time but leaving Madsen in the seat.
“We need to make it public. We need to start from scratch,” Erdmann said.
The committee’s next regularly scheduled meeting is 12:30 p.m. July 1, although the committee has the option to meet prior to the County Board’s meeting on June 25 to vote on the resolution.