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Richland County administrator update covers staffing, wage study, radio tower progress and Tyler HR rollout
Summary
Interim administrators reported on the incoming county administrator, a wage-scale review, progress on a multi-site radio tower project and the migration to Tyler HR/payroll software; several hiring searches and campus reconfiguration steps were also discussed.
Interim county administration provided a broad operational update that covered staffing, technology implementation and large capital projects.
The board was introduced to Tricia (Trish) Clements, identified in the meeting as the incoming county administrator effective April 21, 2025. Interim staff thanked county employees and noted offices would be closed on Good Friday (April 18) for the holiday.
On statutory compliance, staff said Wisconsin Act 235 (referred to in the meeting as “Act 235”) took effect April 1, 2025; county attorneys and department heads will receive a detailed briefing at the next board meeting. The administration reported the county had reviewed procedures and forms to meet the act’s requirements.
The administrator’s update summarized a market wage study: the county’s minimum salaries were reported as at or above the market minimums, while the top of some pay ranges lagged market comparators. Staff described options under consideration, including adding steps to the pay grid or funding a roughly 3% cost-of-living adjustment; no final budget decision was made at the meeting.
Josh Elder, identified as acting deputy county administrator, presented a multi-site radio system update. He reported construction and restoration work was underway at several sites and that equipment staging and antenna installation were scheduled to begin; testing was forecast between May 30 and June and a phased agency transition was planned for July. Elder said the project’s original contract budget was about $8.3 million and that about $3.8 million had been spent so far; he warned that major remaining bills would arrive as civil work completes.
Staff also briefed the board on the Tyler HR/payroll implementation. The final data extract from the legacy system was scheduled for April 16 and the county planned to go live on the new system on April 21; implementation of the time-and-attendance module will continue through September. Department heads were also scheduled to review surplus items at the UW campus on April 23, and staff described efforts to reallocate usable musical instruments and furnishings to local school districts and county departments.
Other operational items included: a finance director recruitment (application deadline noted as May 16), HHS director interviews scheduled for April 21, and continued campus reconfiguration work with a follow-up meeting on April 30. No policy actions were taken; the update was informational and staff said outstanding details would be reported to appropriate committees and the May county board meeting.
