Tie vote tables new county administrator position
The Dubois County Commissioners’ proposal to create a county administrator position failed Tuesday after a tie vote, following strong opposition from county employees who argued the position’s salary represents unfair treatment compared to existing staff raises.
County Clerk Amy Kippenbrock voiced her concerns over the proposed position, telling commissioners that the administrator’s salary was a “slap in the face” to her, other elected officials and county employees, who already fill executive roles similar to the one being created by the commissioners.
She was joined by other elected officials, including the county treasurer, county auditor, county assessor, and the 911 director, who also agreed that creating the position while limiting employee raises to 2 percent in the 2026 budget would impact employee morale.
The administrator position would have a pay range up to $75,000 annually, according to the county administrator salary ordinance passed by the county council last week. At that meeting, Councilman Doug Uebelhor stated that, with the benefits, the position would likely cost the county more than $100,000 per year. He also pointed out that the position’s salary was enough to fund an additional one percent pay raise for county employees.
Uebelhor joined Councilman Alex Hohl in voting against the salary ordinance for the county administrator position, though the ordinance passed 5 to 2.
At Monday’s meeting, Commissioner Chad Blessinger defended the position as necessary for managing complex county projects that currently receive limited attention due to commissioners’ part-time status and full-time jobs elsewhere.
“There are a number of offices underneath the purview of the Board of Commissioners and that would be the primary focus,” Blessinger said. “All of these projects, initiatives, assets deserve more detailed and daily attention than what is available currently.”
Blessinger cited examples, including solar project research, opioid settlement investment, ambulance service management, grant applications, and the $17 million sewer project that has progressed slowly due to limited dedicated time.
He also pointed out that he did not initially support adding a human resources position or an interpreter to the county payroll, but since doing so, both of those positions have proven to be valuable additions. “My first reaction was … we are getting along fine without them,” Blessinger said. “Why put the extra expense on the taxpayer?
Since then, his opinion has changed.
“I feel like they’ve done a lot to move the county forward,” Blessinger said, adding that is how he feels about the administrator position as well.
County Assessor Angie Giesler echoed concerns about funding priorities, questioning why the county can fund a new high-salary position while limiting existing employee raises.
“If you can only give a 1% to the rest, to all your current employees, I think this position needs to be put on hold,” Giesler said. “Why can you fund this position and not give the rest of the employees that are already doing a job for you a better raise?”
911 Director Stuart Wilson also highlighted wage compression issues, stating he remains the lowest-paid department head despite managing 24/7 operations at the emergency call center.
Craig Schneider, a deputy with the Dubois County Sheriff’s Office, voiced similar concerns about pay equity, noting that their officers earn less than those in neighboring Jasper and Huntingburg police departments while covering the entire county.
“We can’t find any more than a 2% raise to give our current employees within Dubois County, yet we can dig in to find this substantial amount of money to create a new position,” he questioned.
Blessinger acknowledged concerns over employee pay but explained that those amounts are handled by the county council.
Kippenbrock also criticized the process timeline, arguing the position should have been included in regular budget discussions rather than being added afterward. She noted that county employees perceive the process as happening “behind the scenes” without public discussion, hurting morale.
“The impression is that we’re just streamlining it behind the scenes,” she told commissioners. “The feedback that I got was we’re not talking about it in public meetings, and it’s kind of behind the scenes, and we’re just pushing it down the line quickly as we can.”
Commissioner Nick Hostetter acknowledged that the position has been informally discussed for years, including when the county hired a coordinator for the Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program (HELP) in 2020 to help guide the facilitation of funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, matched by the state. who could potentially transition to an administrative role.
In considering the creation of the new position, Commissioner Blessinger stated that he would abstain from voting because he may apply for the job himself.
“I thought that this job was important from day one, but it’s a job that I may apply for myself, so I’m not going to vote for it,” he told the group, emphasizing that he felt the county was hurting without it and shouldn’t delay filling the role.
Commissioner Serice Stenftenagel supported the position despite the concerns voiced, emphasizing the need for dedicated project management.
“There are several projects out there that we don’t have time for,” she said. “So I think this particular person would be concentrating on the things that we can’t spend a lot of time with.”
She also said she felt it was essential to review the wages and ensure employees are being paid fairly.
Commissioner Hostetter initially appeared to support the administrator position. He asked the attending elected officials how they would react to it being created.
Kippenbrock immediately told him that she would be going before the county council to seek a pay raise for her deputies.
Hostetter’s opinion seemed to be swayed at that point, as he stated that although he felt the county administrator was needed, he wanted to support the existing employees, department heads, and elected officials.
When Commissioner Stenftenagel made a motion to create the position, Commissioner Hostetter seconded, but the final vote resulted in Stenftenagel in favor, Hostetter opposed, and Blessinger’s abstention, causing the motion to fail.
During the meeting, several attendees agreed that another comprehensive wage study should be conducted, noting that the last county-wide salary analysis had occurred approximately 10 years prior. Councilman Hohl was in attendance and stated that the council is exploring partnerships with consultants to establish a uniform wage evaluation process.
