[{"_1":2,"_122":-5,"_123":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86,98,110],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6344721,"mediaKeyId","2250280-75419eec1533f1969013405852e07c5b","parentId",2250280,"title","Auditor proposes modest increases for election workers and flags ballot and voter-registration costs","audioSeconds",627,"startMs",6573000,"endMs",7200000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2250280-75419eec1533f1969013405852e07c5b&start=6573&end=7200","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2250280-75419eec1533f1969013405852e07c5b/thumbnail_6573000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6344721/Page-County/Iowa/Auditor-proposes-modest-increases-for-election-workers-and-flags-ballot-and-voter-registration-costs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6344721-33f00c86efaf3fb9e1ff4ed6dd18dd42/orig.mp4?Expires=1773612405&Signature=PhTUTdmgr2CF2n7arimU4fwE6hRBwZcjab-wPTMRFUAYalOoFauRe96oatXwRtSpduQIbuZJ~quo2G5FaPRx4xCVQCTObrBmibpfw1L1tyinQ0CmDnQoP6MdVjyFvUrH99gnug~kRfAGaGH8B-5hnovp4jrRmZQsHAZNhy8afgQ7tn1w1f74RPNRZILI7AX4GOCZyfYKrt10CM68Ug0HJv8gpGvDVsoebZOs1oHITJPYfnJ2-stT9HILNCsHMmtfKe9R1M2-tPbXDBHAp48FALnauvOg~QkZ8OHAPS6F1JybkCUXo~5QYZBSngjMeo8rec7NVsSFmBaj-ipjXsnXwg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Page County, Iowa","date","2025-02-07T19:58:46Z","article","The county auditor reviewed the elections and records budget lines and proposed two operational adjustments: increase pay for election workers and better centralize/sharing of some recurring vendor costs.

Auditor staff said precinct election workers currently receive $9 per hour and precinct chairs $10 per hour and proposed increasing both by $2 per hour to improve recruitment for the long election-day shifts. \"They work 15 hour days,\" an auditor staffer said; supervisors agreed a $2-an-hour bump was reasonable and directed staff to include that change in the draft budget.

The auditor also questioned some large line items in the draft budget. Ballot printing for the next city-and-school cycle was budgeted at $12,000, which the auditor said appeared high compared with recent years and recommended reducing that line to $5,000 pending verification. The auditor identified a new or larger voter-registration vendor cost (IPAC) with an estimate discussed at roughly $4,500 plus a per-voter fee; staff recommended budgeting about $5,000 for that item.

The auditor suggested consolidating recurring charges — for example, a shared Paper Tiger shredding contract and shared postage machine charges — into a central account so offices could share vendor services and reduce redundant line items.

Why this matters: Election worker pay can affect the county's ability to staff elections; printing and vendor fees are recurring operational costs that should be validated and, where possible, centralized to make budgeting and cost recovery (for school or city special elections) simpler.

Next steps: Supervisors told auditor staff to adjust the draft budget to reflect a $2-per-hour increase for election workers, reduce ballot printing to a more realistic number pending verification, budget about $5,000 for IPAC voter-registration costs, and attempt to centralize shared vendor services where practical.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Page County Iowa Board Meeting 2 6 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The auditor’s office recommended a $2 hourly increase for election workers, recommended a shared shredding contract, and flagged higher-than-expected costs for ballot printing and IPAC voter-registration fees that staff proposed to adjust in the draft budget.","taxTitle","taxId",28864,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6344725,"Public health staff wages discussed; board notes the county-level raise is contingent on supervisor guidance",268,327000,595000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2250280-75419eec1533f1969013405852e07c5b&start=327&end=595","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2250280-75419eec1533f1969013405852e07c5b/thumbnail_327000.jpg","/articles/6344725/Page-County/Iowa/Public-health-staff-wages-discussed-board-notes-the-county-level-raise-is-contingent-on-supervisor-guidance","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6344725-a8ff6f2e0fefb2ee083968480807a228/orig.mp4?Expires=1773612405&Signature=T4cPyPeOcTnkqdsrCACTJ0SXY4A8kJPou1swYElxiSytnIP4DfAc9AMQWNu~Jw0ONg4I609Gu-LpWEOr-7ZlrReKy5TCl~4foXSLUP6BsyHZqBC4Q9p2SVWxDkyaZTPpfWiqdU9QWByMNzbEeDpVxOlgvHjcF3gtGD8Yqdobz4C5JDyViuvY2EdkDLW~RpWUbsWG0bK1gNoPplZ5iSwZwQirSrYtD0kyjclPjyDCXlRla~Qn0AfAeOZeHWrqhe0Rrqsx1K9t4sh1sGynttuyrW9qYgeoAi-RDNx5ReSZ533CsDjSvth948NJ8QBciAq~0C4ZpZwNxSUk~MniPqQkDA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Public health staff reviewed their draft budget and told the Board they had modeled a 5% across-the-board salary increase for department staff. County supervisors said the final raise level for all county staff will depend on guidance from the Board of Supervisors and fiscal constraints.

The public-health presenter said the 5% figure was a starting point and that the department had also adjusted lines where health insurance enrollment changed (one employee switched from family to single coverage, reducing that line) and accounted for part-time wages for temporary staff. The presenter said the department had tried to be conservative but requested flexibility to adjust the salary percentage as the board finalizes the countywide budget.

Supervisors explained their usual process: departments propose a starting percentage; supervisors compare that with a countywide guidance number the board’s chair or the full board issues; the final salary decision is set in the overall county budget process. The presenter acknowledged the department could lower the proposed percentage if the board chose a lower countywide guidance.

The public-health line items otherwise showed only small changes from the previous year, and the department said it left opioid-settlement distributions and a contract with Montgomery County at the prior-year levels.

Why this matters: Employee wages are the largest recurring operating cost for county departments. The public-health discussion highlights the budget process — department proposals, board guidance and final countywide decisions — and clarifies that the department’s initial proposal may be adjusted during the county’s wider budget negotiations.

Next steps: Supervisors said they will set countywide guidance and return to the questions during subsequent budget sessions.","Public health staff reported proposed salary increases and staffing lines in their budget; the department initially modeled a 5% across-the-board raise but the Board said the final percentage may be set by the Board of Supervisors and could be adjusted downward.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6344728,"Wellness committee says program saved Page County roughly $57,600 and requests $9,000 for next year",204,616000,820000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2250280-75419eec1533f1969013405852e07c5b&start=616&end=820","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2250280-75419eec1533f1969013405852e07c5b/thumbnail_616000.jpg","/articles/6344728/Page-County/Iowa/Wellness-committee-says-program-saved-Page-County-roughly-57600-and-requests-9000-for-next-year","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6344728-fa1a04539db24a7b2cf78fa675dff4fe/orig.mp4?Expires=1773612405&Signature=THxo46yoctoHopPurGWmNbdwQFnyPOwnT7okbWbDMBn5JTflXHSqs-CFPVqJeZwqLZlnfDOIUlXx5LMdr-bImNOmFL8xXrzSQk40kPNMyo9gLUUiQeNlKtkiOOKcUTO6TGaLiX7g9Ne6ju2Dtb9yfMFQca7w9cn-hao1DJwVlMwwds9C3d3LPeQLwop~2hhicWYBCHI45AGECXk~tT1EHuyGSmdT00oWx9l72Wlgs83EtG8Bkmh-Q8YMA~lLyt3MblWEcoVmN61enq2CWkN378TcfKvEFgWifSaoJpyipEEUO0q9hHDPtJYC6S2QgH38hpx75~4Nkvdx4V1jnWtLig__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kim, a co-chair of Page County's Wellness Committee, told the Board that employee participation in wellness activities produced measurable insurance-premium savings and asked the supervisors to fund the committee at the same level as the prior year.

\"Due to your support ... we were able to save the County $57,618.80 in health premiums in fiscal year [current year],\" Kim said, and added that the committee had earned a 5% wellness discount on the county's upcoming health insurance premiums.

The committee requested the same $9,000 allocation as the prior year. Kim described planned activities and incentives that the committee says are intended to maintain participation: the ISAC-sponsored 10,000 steps-per-day challenge, county-versus-county walking challenges available on the Navigate platform, the annual blood-draw program (which the committee is considering moving to spring), an annual flu clinic and incentives tied to online wellness assessments and completion of challenges across eight “pillars” of wellness (balance, mindfulness, community, financial, nutrition, social, physical and purpose).

Committee members emphasized the program is staffed with employees and officials from multiple departments and that committee-led activities aim to encourage preventive care and healthy behaviors among county employees. One supervisor who serves on the committee praised the group’s cross-department membership and said the ideas generated in meetings have been valuable.

Why this matters: The wellness committee presented a direct budget-to-savings claim — the committee cited a specific dollar figure in avoided premiums — and outlined an ongoing set of low-cost programs it says continue to produce financial and health engagement returns.

Next steps: Supervisors indicated support for the current funding request and said they would include the $9,000 line in budget discussions.","The county wellness committee reported saving $57,618.80 in health premiums and said it earned a 5% wellness discount for the next fiscal year. The committee asked the board to keep the wellness budget at $9,000 to continue programs and incentives.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6344733,"County attorney urges pay increases for legal staff, sets hiring timeline",2820,3900000,6720000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2250280-75419eec1533f1969013405852e07c5b&start=3900&end=6720","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2250280-75419eec1533f1969013405852e07c5b/thumbnail_3900000.jpg","/articles/6344733/Page-County/Iowa/County-attorney-urges-pay-increases-for-legal-staff-sets-hiring-timeline","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6344733-ffe6f98a4a4d8a11b6b5e9ba63374322/orig.mp4?Expires=1773612405&Signature=NFXGfOmDtYW-dXX7BAf-p-IN0JdIN1eqkJkLnVg~aAn52mF-r-LF1bS5BkHUpm8C0slOJpFudTf0lI-CzUdFPBDyqvN6tCuUAyD3DN-YBezJM9zZFjbFCPjcml8gy0lEnfz-BzzGiJN0o3JmgUPcGMHFvO9i7rnQIKfYTfs9pXx1TdSwfkebxd-vYxWgMZJ6qIrrkeFdj5pmqmxZlj5DvHxN2tRewSrwlC~wUcCQ~TUtULg78u7v0Z5XdcGFOc8P5WcdkyX3MySHxFU3tAj6WEsSIbYQgNhwEBwGFOFl5eA0C6hYRqKlF4X6uS2yJ1EXqfszn6f2XVFlybjjiVlKng__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Page County Attorney Carl Thompson presented a budget request and a comparability review to the Board of Supervisors, asking for higher pay for his office staff and the county attorney position to improve recruitment and reduce turnover.

Thompson said the office is understaffed relative to workload and that pay for his two long-serving support staff is lower than comparable county positions. He asked the board for a 10% raise for Kim (head of office support) and a 15% raise for Stephanie (legal secretary), which Thompson said would bring those positions closer to staff pay in other county offices.

Thompson also reviewed salary comparables for county attorneys in neighboring counties and larger rural counties, reporting examples he had gathered: \"Mills is $117,000 part time; Cass is $135,000 full time; we are budgeted at $107,000,\" he said, noting differences in full- or part-time status and workload. He argued that county attorney pay has fallen behind population and caseload rank and that higher pay will be required to recruit qualified candidates.

He proposed a hiring timeline and temporary coverage plan: advertise the county attorney job, close applications mid-March (March 14), interview and decide within weeks, and include a 45-day employment authorization for an interim if needed. Thompson offered to serve as interim county attorney while the board finalizes compensation and recruitment details, but said he wanted budget clarity before committing.

Board members and staff discussed assistant-county-attorney pay constraints: Iowa Code and customary practice set assistant compensation relative to the county attorney pay, so raising the county attorney salary affects the allowable ceiling for any assistant. Thompson highlighted the office’s current staffing model and said losing both the attorney and a senior secretary simultaneously would create serious operational disruption.

Next steps: Board asked staff to place the 45-day employment item on the next meeting's agenda and to continue budget work; supervisors also requested Thompson’s packet and comparables be posted and considered in the upcoming budget vote.

","County Attorney Carl Thompson presented salary comparables and asked the Board to raise pay for his office's legal staff and county attorney line to attract candidates; he proposed a timeline to advertise and fill the county attorney post and requested the board add a short-term employment authorization to the agenda.",{"_33":111,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":112,"_41":113,"_43":114,"_45":115,"_47":116,"_49":117,"_51":118,"_53":119,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":120,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":121,"_67":56,"_68":69,"_70":56,"_71":72,"_73":72},6344738,"Page County sheriff proposes pay strategy, requests staffing and equipment funding",2157,1143000,3300000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2250280-75419eec1533f1969013405852e07c5b&start=1143&end=3300","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2250280-75419eec1533f1969013405852e07c5b/thumbnail_1143000.jpg","/articles/6344738/Page-County/Iowa/Page-County-sheriff-proposes-pay-strategy-requests-staffing-and-equipment-funding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6344738-fe3e031cd913c3066beff37bc00782bf/orig.mp4?Expires=1773612405&Signature=feNB8MjnBsvOOQuPqUHzQvZTILuzcwAwaozFShjz9cQs1ck83a~oytHiy~geuSdztRqNI8xg3HJZ2H1Y0tB6mZn7p3-EEmz1KTohIRBmCJWm6-N0~DdtgG5C1rOhY7WW8nP3Flo8eODVdZFQxVOHHxh0EdiqrIuWzbdlFUur6WYVzBwFuCCYz6TCBvsd~W-rOKsbKk2Dg9Ik0Mvqa6xisrWslNY8ea2ECFLGCf-jbQN5UPsv2Nw~-~0zRnLlgGZ37Rb86bnggrl~dbb84uGm1PQIghwibJo5FhE~OREORXrpM4nv7r5Dho~MOzGYP7jZltEM-ANTSyCTKVNJi5BGbQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Sheriff Charles McCallum told the Board of Supervisors that his department is struggling to recruit and retain deputies and jail staff and asked the county to reallocate limited budget dollars to address pay and staffing shortfalls.

\"We are willing ... to take a 0% increase this year and next year if we can get the people that work for us some type of extra type of money,\" Sheriff Charles McCallum said, describing a plan in which he and Chief Deputy Bridal would freeze their raises so line deputies could receive larger increases.

McCallum said deputies' pay is lagging compared with surrounding counties and that low pay increases hiring, training and overtime costs. He told supervisors the department is currently short two deputies and two jailers and that overtime is already a large line item: \"we're set at 43% of our budget on overtime,\" he said. He also described the jail work as demanding and often involving inmates with mental-health and substance-use issues, arguing stronger pay would reduce churn and training costs.

The sheriff outlined specific budget items and estimates discussed in the meeting: academy training costs of about $13,000 per recruit; replacement ballistic vests at roughly $1,200 each, replaced every five years; a request to budget $35,000 to put two deputies through training and academy; and higher fuel and vehicle costs. McCallum said the department is considering replacing some pickup trucks with pursuit-rated Dodge Durango SUVs for pursuit safety and better performance; he gave an upfitted-per-vehicle estimate in the discussion (transcript figure reported by the sheriff's office representatives as approximately $65,680 per fully upfitted vehicle, and compared with pickup costs of roughly $39,000 plus upfitting).

McCallum also described local contracts and revenues: the county contracts to provide policing hours to the City of Essex, which currently provides roughly 10–15 patrol hours per week and proposed selling the county a 2018 Dodge Durango. The sheriff said the city’s monthly payments would likely cover the purchase price in under a year depending on the agreed trade/price.

On jail operations, McCallum asked the board to consider a $1-an-hour pay bump for jailers plus whatever cost-of-living percentage supervisors ultimately approve. He said the county recently lost a jailer to another county for pay reasons and stressed that jail staffing shortfalls increase overtime and operational strain.

Information-technology and backup were raised as an immediate operational risk for the sheriff's office. McCallum and Tony (IT staff who is assisting with the new jail project) said the sheriff's office currently lacks an off-site backup for records and recommended at least nightly off-site backups. Tony said he had worked on solutions and believed the county could implement a backup solution that could be absorbed in current budgets or be done for less than the initial $9,000 estimate mentioned in the discussion.

Supervisors and other board members pressed for comparables and asked staff to compile surrounding-county salary schedules and dispatch/jailer pay to inform final numbers. The board chair said she would contact the state auditor about whether the proposed approach (freezing elected officials' pay in order to give raises to deputies) would comply with state rules before final action.

Why it matters: The sheriff framed the request as a personnel and public-safety issue: persistent vacancies, heavy overtime, training costs and recruitment challenges are driving the department to seek near-term budget changes to stabilize staffing and lower long-term costs.

Next steps: Supervisors asked staff to gather pay and schedule comparables from neighboring counties, to track the Essex contract vehicle proposal, and to report back; the chair said she had emailed the state auditor to check legal constraints on redistributing raises.

","Sheriff Charles McCallum urged the Board of Supervisors to prioritize raises for deputies and jailers, proposed freezing the sheriff and chief deputy salaries for two years to reallocate funds, and outlined needs including academy costs, new patrol vehicles, jail staffing, overtime and an off-site IT backup for the sheriff's office.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Auditor proposes modest increases for election workers and flags ballot and voter-registration costs

Public health staff wages discussed; board notes the county-level raise is contingent on supervisor guidance

Wellness committee says program saved Page County roughly $57,600 and requests $9,000 for next year

County attorney urges pay increases for legal staff, sets hiring timeline

Page County sheriff proposes pay strategy, requests staffing and equipment funding