Turnover, dogging jail, sheriff office

McCOOK, Neb. — It seems to be a problem for law enforcement agencies across the state, not just in Red Willow County. But locally, Red Willow County commissioners are going to have to figure out a budget that attracts and keeps quality employees in the sheriff's department and on the jail staff.

Sheriff Alan Kotschwar told commissioners at their meeting Monday morning that he can't get certified law enforcement officers to apply for deputy positions. And he says he's out of an new-hire uncertified deputy for 15 weeks as he/she trains.

Jail administrator Gerry Hunter said he's not having much luck finding replacements for jailers who leave county employment. "It's hard to stay at full-force," Hunter said.

It boils down to competitive salaries and benefits, something commissioners have suspected since they felt compelled to adjust deputies' salaries several years ago to make them more competitive with others in the state. Commission chairman Earl McNutt said the jail, new in 2014, "started off on the low end from day one." And it's difficult to be competitive with deputies' and jailers' salaries by offering only a cost of living raise each year.

Kotschwar said he's losing two deputies, one to Box Butte County and one to Butler County, both of which are paying better ($19/hour and $20+/hour) than Red Willow County. Hunter said his staff will be short-handed this summer because of family leaves.

Hunter suggested paying jailers an hourly rate plus overtime (rather than a salary with compensation time off) as many other counties similar in size to Red Willow County do. Comp time "robs Peter to pay Paul," he said, and it still leaves "holes" in work schedules. The jail's average daily prisoner population of 20-22 requires three staff members per shift, Hunter said.

County commissioner Steve Downer likes Hunter's suggestion about hourly pay. "Hourly with overtime could work out so much better," Downer said. Budgeting for overtime pay could possibly eliminate one salary and one benefit package, he said.

A Red Willow County jailer's annual salary starts at $28,392 (or about $13 an hour) for a new person with no experience. The average starting wage is $14.63 in Butler, Seward, Thurston, Gage, Keith, Hamilton, Knox and Phelps counties.

A Red Willow County deputy's starting wage averages out to $15-17.34 per hour. The average starting wage is $19.44 an hour in Nemaha, Richardson, Kearny, Colfax, Filmore, Perkins and Otoe counties.

Hunter said most other counties offer night shift and swing shift differentials, raises on top of what the county gives and/or COLA, 100 percent of employee health insurance and bonuses.

Offering a hiring bonus might be an option, Sheriff Kotschwar said, but he added that county attorney Paul Wood does not believe an employee can be bound legally by an agreement to return to Red Willow County for an agree-upon length of time following training.

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Andy Long, director of the McCook Economic Development Corp., told commissioners that the MEDC is supportive of the county-owned Hillcrest Nursing Home, and offered its support as Hillcrest and other nursing homes struggle through the financial challenges of Medicaid reimbursement.

Long updated commissioners, in a quarterly report, on MEDC efforts:

— Gap financing loans for new owners of a laundromat and a beauty salon in McCook. Long said he is excited to see the transition from McCook owners to new owners also from McCook.

— The possibility of opening three more lots to businesses in the Industrial Park off of Ravenswood Road.

— A signed contract with Retail Strategies to broker good retail matches for McCook.

— A housing grant that teams McCook, Benkelman and Cambridge to build in-fill modular houses whose sales finance the construction and sale of more modular houses.

— A survey on the community's needs for and availability of early childhood education.

— A successful 2019 Ben Hormel Business Plan Competition. "We were very excited about a great list of finalists," Long said. "It was tough to go from 14 to 7, and then to one champion, 'Pure Shrimp'."

In other action, commissioners:

— Set June 3, 9:30 a.m., as the date and time to open bids for the county's summer 2019 armor coat project.

— Received $24,744.37 in reimbursement from the state's County Bridge Match Program for the installation of a new 8 1/2x40-foot culvert in the Beaver Creek near Danbury. The state program pays 55 % of total project costs, which were $44,989.78.

The county's share of the project, $20,245.41, will be paid from the county's street and bridge buyback/federal aid fund.

— Made these reappointments: MaryBeth Eisenmenger to the health board through April 30, 2022, and Mike Sides and Fred Shepherd to the planning commission, also through April 30, 2022.

— Declared a 2008 Schulte mower surplus for Road District 1.