Board approves raise to $29.50 for secondary roads office manager after one year; supervisors also set response and January negotiations on union request

The Winnebago County Board of Supervisors approved a pay increase for the secondary roads office manager and addressed a compensation request from the sheriff’s/road workers’ associations.

County Engineer Scott and supervisors discussed hiring, wage progression and retention for secondary roads staff. Scott outlined typical wage growth for maintenance employees and noted new hires often start below full rate and increase after successful training and time on the job. Supervisors debated whether the proposed $29.50 hourly rate for the office manager after one year was appropriate compared with other local wages and with budget constraints.

Supervisor Jas Boatman moved to approve the raise to $29.50 after one year; Smith seconded. The chair called for the vote: “All those in favor, say aye.” The transcript records the ayes and the chair saying the motion carries.

Separately, the board reviewed a request from the Secondary Road Workplace Association (and related sheriff’s association materials) that sought multi-year percentage increases, shift differentials, longevity steps and other changes. After discussion the board stated its standard response of 0% for the association’s initial request and agreed to proceed to formal negotiations in January. The board and county staff said Mike Galloway, the county negotiator, would coordinate negotiation dates and that the compensation negotiation would be scheduled for Jan. 9 at 9 a.m., with Mike and county staff handling the talks; supervisors indicated they would generally not be in the room for bargaining but could participate by phone if allowed.

The board’s action on the office manager’s compensation was a formal approval; no roll-call tally of individual yes/no votes was recorded in the excerpted transcript beyond the recorded ayes and the chair’s announcement that the motion carried.