Sawyer County committee debates attendance, per‑diem and minute‑keeping rules

Members of the Sawyer County Administrative Committee spent a large portion of the meeting debating proposed procedural changes for recording attendance and controlling per‑diem payments.

The chair opened discussion of the procedure manual's attendance language and suggested allowing a short grace period so members who arrive late could still participate. Several committee members urged a firmer rule: document arrival times or mark members absent if not present at roll call. "If they're not here for roll call, that's fine. You mark them absent. But if they walk in at whatever time … write in the minutes, 'John Brown entered the meeting at this time,'" the chair said.

County Clerk Miss Klein raised privacy concerns about recording reasons for absences, such as health issues. "I feel like that's too personal if someone had a health issue…we don't need a reason on here for the whole public to look at," Klein said, and proposed instead that minutes note arrival times without listing private explanations.

Several members also raised concerns about abuse of per diems when members attend only the final portion of meetings. Klein said payroll staff have had to verify attendance against minutes and recommended that per‑diem vouchers be submitted regularly (she suggested within roughly 30 days) so verification is feasible. Committee members discussed whether presence at roll call should be required to claim per diem or whether the chair could allow exceptions.

After discussion, the committee moved and voted to send the revised procedure manual, including the attendance and per‑diem language, to the full county board for further consideration and final action.