Morgan County Council reelects leadership, outlines employee benefits committee and rolls out compensation statements

The Morgan County Council on Jan. 14 reelected Kim Meredith as council president and Vicki Kivett as vice president, approved a county planning commission appointment and spent the bulk of its discussion on forming a reconstituted employee benefits committee and distributing countywide wage-and-compensation statements.

Council President Kim Meredith opened reorganization business and, after nominations, the council confirmed Meredith to continue as council president for 2025. Vice President Vicki Kivett was likewise nominated and confirmed. The council approved minutes from December meetings and unanimously appointed new council member Joe Crone as the council’s representative to the Morgan County Plan Commission.

Council members discussed dissolving the previous benefits committee and forming a new, smaller employee benefits committee to focus on fiscal and benefits policy. The council discussed a target committee size “around seven to nine” members and asked for representation from major operational areas: at least one commissioner representative, elected officials, and department-level representatives including the sheriff’s office (including jail), EMS, highway, dispatch and probation, plus county administrative staff and legal counsel. Council members and staff emphasized scheduling challenges because several departments operate on nonstandard shifts (e.g., deputies and jail staffing patterns, 24-hour EMS coverage) and said that make-up representation or staggered meeting options would be required to ensure participation from field staff.

County staff said they will propose a slate of names for the benefits committee and return to the council for final selection. The council clarified that the committee’s scope is to examine employee benefits and fiscal impacts and to report recommendations back to the council; no binding changes to pay or benefits were adopted at the Jan. 14 meeting.

Separately, county administration announced a “leadership launch” session to distribute individualized total wage-and-compensation statements to department heads and elected officials. Staff said the session is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 23, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. in the same meeting room, and that department supervisors will be expected to hand the individualized statements to employees when appropriate. The compensation statements will include state pension contributions (PERF), county contributions to health insurance and life insurance, PTO, take-home vehicle values where applicable, uniform pay and holiday-pay arrangements. Staff noted some items are not included because the county has no centralized tracking (for example, certifications or training paid on a case-by-case basis). Officials said they delayed direct employee distribution until after W-2s were issued to avoid confusion over year-to-date totals.

County staff also described training and tools associated with the rollout: a manager training program referred to in the meeting as MPO (manager performance and organization) led by John Barrett; a learning-management system called Ziwave for mandatory trainings (harassment, DEI, blood-borne pathogens, etc.); and a county intranet on SharePoint that will host forms such as workers’ compensation accident reports and payroll status-change forms. Staff said supervisors will receive a “cheat sheet” to explain each element of the compensation statement so they can answer routine employee questions.

The council handled routine housekeeping items, including approval of December minutes, election of committee officers, and a motion to adjourn. No ordinance, budget adoption, contract award or formal policy change was approved at this meeting; the benefits committee and the compensation-statement distribution were presented as next steps for council consideration and staff implementation.

Votes at a glance: the council approved the December minutes (motion by Melissa Green, second by Brian Culp; vote tally recorded in meeting as 4 yes, 3 abstentions; names not specified), reelected Kim Meredith as council president (motion and second; recorded outcome 7–0), elected Vicki Kivett as vice president (recorded outcome 7–0), appointed Joe Crone as the council’s Plan Commission representative (motion by Brian Culp, seconded by Melissa Green; recorded outcome 7–0) and approved adjournment by motion of Melissa Green, seconded by Brian Culp (recorded outcome: motion carries).