Commission sets highway superintendent pay, memorializes maintenance hire and tables mentor pay

Hand County commissioners formalized several highway-department personnel decisions and deferred one pending review of retirement impacts.

The commission memorialized the hiring of Michael Wagnes as a highway maintenance worker at an entry-level pay of $19.14 per hour. Speaker 7 asked that the appointment be recorded in the minutes; the motion to memorialize the hire was moved and seconded and passed.

Separately, commissioners set the monthly salary for newly appointed highway superintendent Nicole Gertmaker at $4,750. Speaker 7 said Gertmaker had been appointed June 16 and that the board typically pays incoming department heads at the same rate as exiting heads; Speaker 5 moved to set the monthly pay and the motion passed after discussion about responsibilities and timeline.

The board debated converting longtime employee Jeff Hargans from salary to hourly status and whether that change would affect his retirement. Speaker 3 and others raised concerns about reducing an employee’s long-term earned compensation; Speaker 5 withdrew an initial motion to set pay and instead moved to table the matter until the next regular meeting so the county can determine whether the change would affect Hargans’ state retirement. The motion to table passed.

Why it matters: The actions fix near-term payroll and personnel records for the highway department and show the commission seeking further details when retirements could be affected. Commissioners discussed supervisory structures — including hiring an assistant superintendent to cover day-to-day operations — and signaled openness to future pay adjustments tied to certifications such as a commercial driver’s license.

Next steps: The county will research whether converting Hargans’ salary to hourly status would affect his retirement and revisit the pay decision at the next regular meeting.