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Board approves personnel changes; members raise questions about late township claims
Summary
Woodbury County supervisors approved an HR memorandum adjusting a director raise and two start dates while members questioned the auditor’s claims list, noting several township claims date back to 2020 and asking staff to research whether a timely-submission rule should be set.
The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors on May 5 approved personnel transactions including making the HR director's approved pay increase effective May 1, 2026, and moving the start dates for two temporary hires, Vicky Acriman and Pamela Bondstead, to May 13.
Melissa Thomas, identified in the agenda as the Human Resources director, discussed customary practice for effective dates and said the approved date of May 1 was reflected in the backup and minutes. She explained payroll processing: "the way our software works is it applies it to the entire pay period," and staff sometimes prorate increases when the approval date does not align with the pay period.
Before the personnel vote, a board member raised concerns about claims on the auditor's list that dated back to 2020 and asked whether the county should adopt a requirement that claims be submitted within a timely window. County staff responded that the county has historically paid older township claims after auditor review and, depending on the amount, will check with the auditor and sometimes post them to the current fiscal year. Staff noted township clerks often hold claims and submit them later; one example discussed was a claim tied to a deceased claimant.
The board approved the personnel item with the adjusted effective date and start dates; the consent vote on items two and three (minutes and claims) also passed by voice vote earlier in the meeting. The members did not adopt a new timeliness policy for claims during the meeting; a board member offered to research the resolution that sets township payment amounts to determine whether submission timing can be prescribed.
Motion and voting details: the personnel memorandum (item four) was moved and seconded and approved by voice vote (recorded as "passes 40"). No individual roll-call votes were recorded in the transcript.
