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Dunn County commissioners approve road department restructure after split vote
Summary
Commissioners approved a proposed restructure of the road department leadership that eliminates shop foreman positions and establishes an assistant and an operations manager; the motion passed after debate and a roll-call vote, and commissioners appointed an interim assistant and set interim pay.
Dunn County commissioners voted to restructure the road department’s supervisory organization, moving to a leadership model with a road superintendent, an assistant superintendent, an operations manager and a shop manager while eliminating the existing shop foreman positions.
Supporters of the change said the reorganization will improve county-wide coordination of graders, water trucks and other equipment during time-sensitive operations such as summer blading after rains. Commissioner Pelton and other proponents said the change will allow resources to be pooled across districts so crews can respond faster to localized needs.
Opponents said the proposal was presented too quickly and urged more time for the full board and staff to review details and to allow a newly hired superintendent to weigh in. Commissioner Dalzell and others asked for a slower roll-out and suggested the change could be handled through attrition.
After discussion the commission approved the restructuring motion. The recorded roll call showed Commissioners Heizer, Olsen and Pelton voting yes; Commissioner Kliman voted no; Commissioner Dalzell voted no; the chair declared the motion carried.
The commission also appointed an interim assistant to help implement the new structure until a permanent superintendent is in place. The board appointed Mike Carey (listed in the meeting as “Carey”) as interim assistant/operations lead and set interim compensation at an exempt salary equivalent to $42.47 per hour while he serves in that role.
Commissioners said the plan will be monitored and could be re-evaluated, but they did not set a formal sunset date in the motion.
Ending: County staff will proceed with implementation and open the reorganized positions for internal application after the new superintendent is hired; commissioners asked for follow-up reporting on service levels and workforce impacts.
