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Conservation board seeks new pickup and salary adjustments as reserve funds support lake restoration
Summary
Kendall from Conservation requested county help replacing decking at the Nature Center and asked for a $50,000 equipment line to buy a heavy-duty pickup; the conservation board also approved staff raises (4% generally, 6% for an office manager) and expects phase 2 of a lake restoration to draw on a $675,000 reserve that is 75% reimbursable.
The county's conservation director outlined proposed budget changes for conservation operations and the Nature Center, asking supervisors to relay the requests back to the conservation board.
Kendall said the Nature Center's decking (installed in 2007) needs replacement; the conservation foundation has agreed to cover half the materials cost, leaving an estimated $7,000 county share. Kendall also said the conservation board approved a 4% pay increase for full-time staff and a 6% increase for the office manager to bring that position closer to statewide averages.
On equipment, Kendall asked supervisors to approve increasing the equipment-repair/new-equipment line from $10,000 to $50,000 to acquire a new heavy-duty pickup (a 250/350 class truck) to replace a 2003 vehicle needed to pull trailers and equipment for field projects. Kendall said the conservation reserve stands at about $675,000, with $575,000 of that earmarked for phase 2 of a lake restoration project that will be reimbursed at approximately 75%.
Board members questioned whether conservation should be folded into the county's wage scale; Kendall and other commissioners noted conservation staff have different job descriptions and are overseen by a separate conservation board, which sets salaries. Commissioners discussed whether longevity pay should be treated uniformly across departments. Several supervisors said they preferred a consistent 3% across departments for budget stability, while others supported conservation's board-set adjustments.
Kendall asked staff to relay any requested changes to the conservation board before their meeting on the following Monday so the board could respond at its next meeting or in February.
Next steps: the conservation director will return with any revised numbers requested by supervisors, and the board will consider those changes during the budget process.
