Officials accept IT director resignation, approve fair hire and multiple museum rehires

At a regular public meeting on May 26, the chair moved to accept the resignation of IT director Jenna Preisser; the board approved the resignation and agreed to advertise the vacancy. The chair said Preisser’s resignation is effective June 12 after four years in the IT office.

The meeting also cleared several personnel items. The board approved hiring Benny Sullivan for the county fair effective June 1, and approved the seasonal rehires of Tracy Smith and Calia Featherston for extension positions. The Banville, Wolf Point and Wood Point museum staffs were also replenished: Rochelle Romer was rehired to the Banville Museum as a seasonal director, Monty Page was rehired as curator for the Wolf Point Museum effective May 15, and John Faustina was rehired as assistant curator at the Wood Point Museum effective May 15.

The chair presented claims for May totaling $9,836 and noted a partial payment for a box culvert that will be reimbursed by the state via GRAMA; the board voted to approve the claims. A previously listed belly-dump trailer had been sold just before the meeting, and staff said they will look for replacement trailers because some gravel trailers are getting worn.

Votes at a glance: All motions recorded in the meeting were approved on voice votes. Approvals included: minutes from the May 19 regular meeting; acceptance of IT director Jenna Preisser’s resignation (effective June 12); acceptance of April Wills’ resignation from the Bing Bilt Museum board (effective May 18); approval of May claims totaling $9,836; hiring of Benny Sullivan (effective June 1); rehires of Tracy Smith and Calia Featherston; rehire of Rochelle Romer to the Banville Museum; rehire of Monty Page as curator at Wolf Point Museum (effective May 15); and rehire of John Faustina as assistant curator at Wood Point Museum (effective May 15). The meeting adjourned at about 11:12.

Why this matters: The accepted resignation creates an IT vacancy that the county will advertise; multiple seasonal hires and rehires restore staffing ahead of summer operations for the fair and local museums. The claims approval records the county’s near-term spending and a state reimbursement process for a box culvert payment.

Clarifying details: Jenna Preisser’s resignation effective date: June 12 (stated by the chair). Benny Sullivan’s hire effective date: June 1 (noted by the chair). Monty Page and John Faustina rehire effective dates: May 15 (stated by the chair). April Wills’ museum resignation effective date: May 18 (stated by the chair). The May claims total: 9,836 (stated by the chair). The box culvert payment will be reimbursed through GRAMA (stated by the chair).