County panel gives final OK to new jailer contract

With the door slowly closing on 2009, the Davison County Commission gave final approval to a new contract for county jailers.

After discussions in two brief executive sessions with State’s Attorney Pat Smith and Deputy State’s Attorney Jim Taylor, the commissioners OK’d a pay plan that will give jailers a 2 percent raise, plus 50 cents an hour additional, in 2010.

That means a jailer who started a year ago at a base rate of $10.81 a hour will receive a bump of 70 cents an hour to a new rate of $11.51 an hour.

Jail Administrator Don Radel also recommended and received commission approval for jail services rates and expenditures for the coming year. The daily rate for counties who board their prisoners at the jail will remain at $65 a day .

But the commissioners also approved a new $20-an- hour rate per corrections officer to those same counties for guarding or transporting prisoners, in the event no guards are provided. In the past, the county charged a flat rate of $60 an hour.

The new plan will better cover county costs, in the event of a lengthy transportation episode, said Radel.

In unrelated business, the commissioners heard also from Jeff Smyrak, account manager for A & B Business Solutions of Mitchell, who complained about the county’s purchase last week of a new Savin copy machine from Business Products Inc. of Mitchell for $5,243. A&B offered the county a $5,499 bid on a new Ricoh copier.

Smyrak said service for the Savin machine will have to come out of a Sioux Falls company and not locally.

BPI representative Steve Harmes said his company simply acted as a sales agent in the transaction and will receive a commission for its part in the deal.

The commissioners saw nothing improper in the transaction.

In other business, the commissioners:

• Approved a request from Director of Equalization Kathy Goetsch for funds to replace a crashed computer Goetsch said is crucial to wrapping up year-end county business in her department. Goetsch was directed to select the lowest of three bids from various vendors.

The expenditure will require a year-end contingency appropriation, said Auditor Susan Kiepke.

• Acting as the Board of Adjustment, approved a variance request by Richard McBrayer for a 3-acre residential lot to be used as a building site for family members on McBrayer’s Rome Township property northeast of Ethan. The county Planning and Zoning Commission on Dec. 1 unanimously recommended approval.

• Heard from Treasurer Brenda Sanders, who requested direction on how to handle a $25 donation to the county in support of the Christmas tree display at the courthouse.

Since the county has no mechanism to accept such donations, Sanders was directed to return the check to the sender with thanks and ask that the funds be redirected to courthouse custodian Roger Triebwasser, who each year volunteers his time to set up the display of trees that are decorated by county departments and local businesses and families.

The money will be used to defray the costs of an open house event for the public this Friday.

• Further noted that the public is invited to a holiday open house at the courthouse from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday. Cider and cookies will be served and Santa will be present for children. Visitors will also be eligible to win the door prize — a seven-foot fiber-optic Christmas tree, Triebwasser said.

• After a brief executive session, approved the reappointment of Veterans Service Officer Steve McClure for another four-year contract. The reappointment was made at the behest of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, which pays a portion of McClure’s salary.

• Approved a low bid from Meyers Oil for 3,000 gallons of unleaded fuel at $2.23 a gallon.

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