[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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",[32,75,87],{"_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":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6573323,"mediaKeyId","3078927-81269bdd6863d46c34905e34e0fd2749","parentId",3078927,"title","Polk County approves recruitment and retention incentives for deputies and sergeants; adds licensure pay for solid-waste operators","audioSeconds",613,"startMs",4405000,"endMs",5018000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3078927-81269bdd6863d46c34905e34e0fd2749&start=4405&end=5018","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3078927-81269bdd6863d46c34905e34e0fd2749/thumbnail_4405000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6573323/Polk-County/Minnesota/Polk-County-approves-recruitment-and-retention-incentives-for-deputies-and-sergeants-adds-licensure-pay-for-solid-waste-operators","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6573323-480c26bcf9728accb736d324fbbbee93/orig.mp4?Expires=1771202586&Signature=QSHHgiS2fUDqcvcSlhRMQcxhkB8o80Z2AhULqKZU6Dp-83dmd8F9OIMvvYRaIzYDXKxV9haMcHzb1Wka8j36XT~4g0mo9-SoEatwyN9AQMzoAwdnFUdSHjVA4yfNy984qpl92vQ-YqxxUXU5gCkmell-stBaoA1k5p92ji8Agz7UicC3-r3YUe7aaj0~tln4C4KL3KwljIvxWkqE36HeNdBRvhy5dPfICSpP~Ci0DpW6Nxkcum50VIqesf0MQjlB8AJcDYDiMONzrmSpO2~wujgq97x0sTxP9r1Qx~AkMkmLdReRcDh5XNdjLWJ40dUEXSvq4nBu9HWgPPSmCaA7~w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Polk County","date","2025-04-22T14:13:45.043Z","article","Polk County commissioners voted to approve three memorandums of understanding that offer hiring and retention incentives for law-enforcement staff and add licensure premium pay for solid-waste operators.

County staff presented the three MOUs at the board meeting and said the packages would be paid from state public-safety funds provided to the county in February 2023 and existing departmental funds. The board approved the MOUs by voice vote; commissioners did not record a roll-call tally during the meeting.

The first MOU covers deputies represented by LELS. County staff said the deputies group includes 18 positions and that the package uses a three-part structure: a $5,000 sign-on/retention payment per position (paid in increments and conditioned on successful completion of probation), a $10,000 recruitment incentive pool, and a smaller applicant-referral payment tied to successful completion of interviews. Staff described the gross totals in the packet as approximately $102,500 for the deputies group and said the money would come from the public-safety fund. Commissioners asked staff to confirm how payroll taxes and withholding would be handled before payments are disbursed.

The second MOU uses a similar formula for the county’s LELS sergeants and supervisors group. Staff said that group includes six positions and that the packet lists $5,000 per position for sign-on/retention plus the $10,000 recruitment pool and referral amounts, for a packet total of $42,500 coming from the same fund source.

The third agreement covers operating engineers in the county’s solid-waste operations. Staff described a set of hourly licensure premiums intended to keep and grow in-house expertise needed to operate the county’s incinerator and other boilers. \"These licenses and obtaining these licenses are very crucial to continue to operate our incinerator,\" county staff said during the presentation. The MOUs list incremental premiums that staff described in the packet as ranging from about $2 up to $7 per hour depending on the certification or license achieved.

Commissioners asked several operational questions during discussion: how the incentive payments would be taxed or reported (payroll check with withholding versus 1099-style reporting), whether the MOUs had been shared with union representatives (staff said they had), and whether employees would need to ratify the agreements (staff said any changes tied to collective-bargaining agreements would require union action). Staff said payments would be distributed in installments tied to probation completion and scheduled payment windows rather than as single lump sums.

Actions and follow-up directed by the board included staff confirmation of payroll-tax treatment and continued communication with union representatives. The board approved all three MOUs by voice vote during the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","4-22-25 Polk County Board Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Polk County commissioners voted to approve three memorandums of understanding to provide sign-on and retention incentives to deputies and sergeants and to add licensure premium pay for solid‑waste operators, using state public-safety funds and departmental resources.","taxTitle","Polk County, Minnesota","taxId",71063,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6573313,"Polk County staff outlines plan to move payroll off legacy system, hire finance director and modernize budgeting",1587,2754000,4341000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3078927-81269bdd6863d46c34905e34e0fd2749&start=2754&end=4341","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3078927-81269bdd6863d46c34905e34e0fd2749/thumbnail_2754000.jpg","/articles/6573313/Polk-County/Minnesota/Polk-County-staff-outlines-plan-to-move-payroll-off-legacy-system-hire-finance-director-and-modernize-budgeting","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6573313-050cf2752a7c2eabbe98d3d4546c56ec/orig.mp4?Expires=1771202586&Signature=neuDV7byng5GYM4BI6n-HAfNzAIydtGXcyj909KjwrZguYUTh0Z-UBCvelPLpSr7XdXK1UTDXBwrjD3LcTrtnF3W0WasKzd1VQCS1WQV5n2TAzQL9JFEos3PwIKefphQ0GwbecNuIq8rICoBOurVUm2exWhf9ZtoouFjQi2RK9iqoZUaZPujrgiRfSshKRh7talNP9YsP14PUEDW0QOasWkqU-YX0G7MLzGUD9A3KtQFKYep0X9-AgZ6LFMJ-slwTLpy9l4gFZyLqu0u0OuM~wcE21buSQFJJCmc6aJe7QsA8KdH3coq4klZPQjyyQHXQ9Or43jTeN1s1NStwMOD~Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","County officials described a multi-part plan to modernize Polk County’s payroll and financial systems and to strengthen finance staffing.

County staff told the board they received five applications for the vacant finance-director role and planned interviews for two candidates. Staff said they expect the hiring process to continue through spring and that the finance director’s arrival would support a broader rollout of new systems.

On payroll, staff presented a proposal to migrate from the county’s legacy PayMate system (an AS/400-hosted application) to UKG’s Kronos payroll and HR modules. Staff said the Kronos suite would allow tighter integration of timekeeping, recruiting, onboarding, payroll processing and year-end tax services. The board heard an estimated direct software cost in the low tens of thousands of dollars and implementation assistance estimates from a consultant (Abdo) ranging up to an estimated $70,000–$85,000 depending on scope. Staff said some Abdo fees have been charged to ARPA funds but that future costs would likely come from fund balance if necessary.

Staff also described other modernization steps under consideration: adopting Questica budgeting software to reduce manual Excel data entry and consolidate budget inputs; installing check scanners to streamline deposit and reconciliation workflows during tax season; and consolidating line‑account structures to make budget documents more decision‑ready. Staff suggested an October target for moving payroll to Kronos if implementation proceeds on schedule.

Commissioners and staff discussed implementation risks, staffing and training needs, and the importance of maintaining accurate payroll and audit trails. Commissioners asked about ongoing operating costs and whether the county should continue to rely on outside consultants. Staff said the intent is to use external help for the transition and to build internal capacity so the county can operate systems independently.

The board did not take a vote on purchasing new software during the meeting; staff said they would return with more granular cost estimates and schedule options to finance committee meetings later in the spring.","County staff described a multi-step plan to migrate payroll from PayMate (AS/400) to UKG (Kronos) payroll modules, hire a finance director, adopt new budgeting software, and deploy check scanners; board members discussed costs, timelines and training needs.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6573318,"Polk County approves three property-tax abatements after software and classification errors identified",267,2402000,2669000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3078927-81269bdd6863d46c34905e34e0fd2749&start=2402&end=2669","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3078927-81269bdd6863d46c34905e34e0fd2749/thumbnail_2402000.jpg","/articles/6573318/Polk-County/Minnesota/Polk-County-approves-three-property-tax-abatements-after-software-and-classification-errors-identified","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6573318-a1462462312a260360e65b8fb733e3aa/orig.mp4?Expires=1771202586&Signature=kSAgjAHMVO5KowqTTnyGndLvKLhl6vDkDcDBT-2rvtN09n~vnl-1CGAn0h-0gB5wz3B-qWgshUkAxQDsOq9UYMW59qIyj5vebAAEBCUi2D9NZbZfL0OdXz4hMr7PiYAvkE-6sFi13DzVmI106ljRIWTOYkCzukZpnof55rxX7Bote3UjNuYLoRGKxodAUwBUgAxSkxEX8nneBZy85TA5eoLxC31ybAfvguHqNWCkp4iQ1z15sbSDvsfdxfngqZfTOcNgjnY8RGyXhJLRQvbvp4R96LsfwJ0Na4JDyd3y~hJAuOV0frhZw6XXb-pjQT9GOchcl48xQufstpkdCTuicA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Polk County commissioners voted to approve three property-tax adjustments during the meeting after county staff described a classification error and a software mismatch that caused duplicate records and missed exemptions.

County staff member Landsberg presented three specific abatement requests. He said the county’s records showed two West Central Ag entries (one for 2024 and one for 2025) tied to a fertilizer facility that had been reclassified after a state statutory change. Landsberg told the board the county’s tax program and assessment program did not fully synchronize during that reclassification, which led to duplicate records and an erroneous tax classification on some parcels. The third request was for a former grocery store in Fosston that had been converted to apartments; Landsberg said the property was not reclassified correctly last year after the conversion.

On the West Central Ag items, staff said a recent property sale prompted the review that discovered the duplication. For the Fosston property, staff said the remedy would be to issue corrected tax statements for 2025. Landsberg told commissioners the top entry would be handled as an actual refund, while the other two cases would generate revised 2025 tax statements.

Commissioners moved and seconded the recommendation and approved the abatement actions by voice vote. No roll-call tally was recorded in the meeting minutes.

The county auditor/treasurer and assessment staff will update the tax records to reflect the corrected classifications and will issue refunds or corrected statements as required. Landsberg told the board staff will follow up to ensure the assessment and tax systems are reconciled so the error does not recur.","The Polk County Board approved three property-tax adjustments—a refund and two corrected 2025 tax statements—after staff said a change in classification and a software mismatch left exemptions unremoved.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Polk County approves recruitment and retention incentives for deputies and sergeants; adds licensure pay for solid-waste operators

Polk County staff outlines plan to move payroll off legacy system, hire finance director and modernize budgeting

Polk County approves three property-tax abatements after software and classification errors identified