Commissioners struggle to avoid 'pink postcard' mailing

McCOOK, Neb. — County officials are struggling with the effort to bring a couple of departments up to speed while avoiding the need to mail out the dreaded “pink postcards” required for hearings for a budget increase of more than 2 percent.

All employers are feeling the inflationary pinch when it comes to hiring staff, but none more so than those in the medical field.

That’s especially true for the Red Willow County Health Department, which has been trying without success to hire a registered nurse for a year.

It isn’t hard to see why when one compares hourly wages paid to nurses by the health department’s competitors in the job market, a summary of which was presented to county commissioners at Monday’s meeting.

While the county health department pays from $17 an hour for new licensed practical nurses up to $26.25 for experienced registered nurses, employers like the Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department, McCook Clinic, Community Hospital, Quality Urgent Care, Scotts Bluff County Health Department and Benkelman Clinic pay anywhere from nearly $18 to $45 for comparable qualifications.

The budget request submitted by the health department was about $483,000, a more than $111,000 increase over last year’s budget.

The issue is even more pronounced at the sheriff’s office, which submitted a request of more than $835,000 as newly elected Sheriff Kevin Darling, who was a one-person department when he took office, requested a budget for a staff as large as seven officers.

After a discussion with commissioners, Darling agreed to submit one budget request to cover six officers and another for five, including himself.

Neither the health department, which was represented by several members of the department’s board of directors nor Sheriff Darling were given definite answers about their budget requests, with commissioners planning to seek guidance from Dan Miller, the county’s budget accountant.

Commissioner Randy Dean made a number of cost-saving suggestions, such as reducing the health department’s part-time budget in hopes that a full-time RN could make it unnecessary, and asked Sheriff Darling for the budget with a lower number of deputies.

While the Nebraska State Patrol can provide some backup to the undermanned Red Willow County Sheriff’s Office, state troopers can be anywhere “from here to Valentine,” Sheriff Darling said.

Commission Chairman Ted Gans said it is the county’s responsibility to provide adequate services, including the County Health Department created by voters in the 1970s, and more adequate law enforcement.

While it’s important to hold the budget as much as possible, delaying too many needed expenditures can put the county “behind the 8-ball.”

While commissioners will face criticism for major increases, sometimes you have to “put it in the budget and rip the band-aid off.”

Commissioners also discussed to possible lease or purchase, using ARPA funds, of Tasers for the sheriff’s office and county jail staff.

Nearly two hours behind schedule, commissioners went into a budget workshop.