Pipestone County approves voluntary transfer of county assessor; several HR changes announced

Pipestone County commissioners on July 22 approved a requested personnel change that will shift leadership responsibilities in the Assessor's Office.

During the meeting Shraddha (Human Resources) asked the board to approve the voluntary transfer of Christine Machesney from County Assessor to Deputy Assessor effective Aug. 1. "This request is made in good standing and is supported by both the Assessor's Office and Human Resources," Shraddha said. The board approved the transfer by voice vote.

Shraddha said Jean Nelson will assume the County Assessor position on Monday, July 28. She also outlined additional staff changes: Jaden Haas resigned from his full-time EMT position effective Aug. 8 but will remain on staff part time as an EMT and jailer/dispatcher while pursuing law enforcement training; Alexis DeGrote was promoted to senior appraiser effective June 1 after completing two board-approved income courses; Danielle Hopper extended her temporary highway administrative support schedule from three to four days per week through year-end to allow additional training; and AMTees, a recently hired deputy treasurer 1, entered an independent-contractor agreement effective July 14 to provide transitional training for a replacement employee.

Shraddha provided pay detail for the transfer: the deputy assessor classification is pay grade C41, step D at $37.94 per hour (effective Aug. 1 under the approved transfer).

Why it matters: The hiring and classification changes are intended to preserve institutional knowledge inside the Assessor's Office while allowing employees career mobility, according to HR. Commissioners voiced support for internal promotions and cross-training.

Ending: The board approved the personnel action by voice vote and heard a brief human-resources update on additional staffing items that will be managed through standard county hiring processes.