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Board approves interim WIC contract and several personnel actions amid staffing concerns
Summary
Facing a WIC coordinator resignation and mandated caseloads, the board approved a contract for an interim WIC coordinator at $50 per hour through September 2026, authorized recruitment to fill the permanent position, accepted resignations and approved other personnel actions. Commissioners debated whether the item should have been discussed at a workshop first.
The Freeborn County Board approved a short‑term contract to maintain WIC services after the department’s coordinator resigned in early April.
County staff told the board the WIC caseload includes about 700 participant families and that the department was down to two staff (one part‑time). WIC staff explained they had identified a contractor who can work remotely on Mondays and perform telephone nutrition counseling, limited certifications and administrative tasks; staff sought authority to pay the contractor $50 per hour. "We are trying to be able to get help as soon as possible to my staff so I don't lose any more staff," the WIC representative said during the discussion.
Commissioner Schauff criticized the timing and packet distribution, arguing the matter normally belongs on a workshop agenda and said he would vote no. Other commissioners and the administrator said state mandates and the limited staff made near‑term action necessary; the board approved the contract by roll call.
The administrator also presented and the board approved a package of personnel items: acceptance of the resignation of WIC coordinator Erica Larson (effective 04/03/2026), authorization to begin the recruitment process for a permanent WIC coordinator, acceptance of a resignation by an assistant county attorney and authorization to fill that position, and an arbitration‑imposed patrol lieutenant contract affecting three positions. The WIC contract is scheduled through September 2026 but staff said it would end sooner if the county hires and fully trains a permanent coordinator.
Why it matters: The board's action preserves continuity of federally mandated WIC services for hundreds of families while the county conducts a recruitment. The decision prompted debate about transparency and agenda timing but commissioners emphasized service continuity and compliance with state program requirements.
