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County approves $42,000 professional-development contract for jail staff to address turnover and leadership
Summary
The Pine County Board approved a $42,000, one-year professional services contract with Hegley Incorporated to deliver leadership and team development for jail administration, sergeants and corrections staff; county officials said the training aims to improve retention and reduce overtime and operational risk.
The Pine County Board unanimously approved a one-year, $42,000 professional services contract with Hegley Incorporated to provide leadership and team-development work for the county jail, jail administration said.
Rod Williamson, jail administrator, told commissioners the program is tailored to correctional settings and targets administrators, sergeants and front-line correctional officers. Williamson said 22 of his 33 jail staff have less than three years of experience and that investing in leadership skills will improve communications, morale and retention.
Consultant Steve Hegley described prior work in neighboring counties and said modern corrections leadership requires shifting from older, fear-based practices to approaches that engage newer staff and improve compliance. Hegley told the board that better communication and leadership reduce operational risk and potential liability.
Contract details presented to the commissioners call for a 12-month engagement at $3,500 per month (total $42,000). Williamson said the county will absorb the first-year cost within the existing jail budget by holding several vacant positions open and expects to include the work in future budgets if the program continues.
Commissioners questioned the cadence of the consultant’s work and whether monthly fees would taper as county staff internalize new practices. Hegley said the engagement is intensive early on with in-person meetings and group and individual sessions and that frequency would decline as the jail’s leadership adopts the practices. Williamson said the county expects a net benefit through improved retention and reduced overtime.
The board moved and seconded the contract and voted "aye" on final approval. Williamson said the program will kick off after contracting and that staff will report progress to the board during the next budget cycle.
Ending: Commissioners and jail leadership framed the contract as a retention and safety investment; Williamson said the county will monitor results and return with updates as the program proceeds.
