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Board approves select staffing upgrades, denies auditor's deputy real-estate request
Summary
Woodbury County supervisors approved a senior engineering technician and several clerk reclassifications to cross-train staff but voted unanimously to deny the auditor's proposed real-estate deputy position because of long-term general-basic fund concerns.
The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors on March (date not specified) approved several targeted personnel changes in the FY27 improvement-request process while rejecting a proposal to add a permanent real-estate deputy in the auditor's office.
Auditor Michelle presented a package that would reorganize real-estate functions, create a deputy responsible for parcel and tax-roll oversight at a proposed cost she estimated at $127,003.59, and convert multiple clerk 2 positions into senior clerks to enable cross-training. Chair opened discussion about fund impacts after the board's budget director explained how GL line changes would shift costs between general basic and general supplemental funds.
Board members voiced concerns about creating a deputy that could not be easily eliminated if future revenue caps reduce general-basic funding. A motion to deny the auditor's real-estate deputy request carried 5-0. The board then moved to preserve several clerk reclassifications with a budget-line adjustment to split one senior-clerk position 50/50 between real estate and elections; that GL-line change passed 4-1.
Separately, the board approved a permanent upgrade in Secondary Roads by changing one existing engineering Tech II position to a senior engineering technician after Secondary Roads engineer Laura Severs said the employee already performs higher-level duties in the field. Supervisors discussed funding that change from secondary-roads use tax or by increasing the rural-basic transfer; they signaled a preference to find the cost within the department's budget without shifting levy-funded general-basic costs.
Votes and next steps: the board recorded roll-call approvals or denials on each motion during the meeting. Michelle said the union had been consulted and indicated it would accept the adjustments as presented. The auditor will update budget GL lines as directed and bring final job descriptions and MOU language for any union-covered reclassifications at a later meeting.
What it means: The board approved targeted reclassifications meant to improve cross-training and operational resilience while declining a higher-cost deputy role the supervisors judged to carry lasting general-basic obligations. Further administrative follow-up will lay out exact pay-grade changes, internal posting procedures and the timetable for implementation.
