(Juneau) Dodge County is moving forward with plans to create several shared positions with Jefferson County. The county board’s executive committee heard an update Monday on the progress to establish a joint purchasing agent position as well as a shared risk manager. Currently, Jefferson County does not have a purchasing agent and the position in Dodge County has been vacant since November. Jefferson County does have a vacant but approved opening for a risk manager/safety coordinator while those duties fall under the purview of Dodge County Administrator Jim Mielke.
Several committee members say they need to see more in information before making any decision. Supervisor Kira Sheahan-Malloy says Dodge County still has not identified what their needs and expectations are for a purchasing agent. She says she also has some concerns that a few department heads do not want to follow the recommendations that are being offered by professionals hired to do so.
Jim Mielke says a shared risk manager can be beneficial and can improve training opportunities and risk awareness. The projected annual expense for the risk manager position would be $106-thousand-dollars while the purchasing agent would be $102-thousand-dollars. Mielke says the goal is that the positions have a net effect of zero for both counties beyond their existing 2020 budgets. An intergovernmental agreement to establish the positions could come before the county board for a vote during their April meeting.
