Camper frets about security
Staff writer
A frequent camper at the county lake told county commissioners Tuesday that she was unhappy with the sheriff’s department response to a “homeless” couple who used the showers at the lake’s heated bathhouse Sunday.
Arlene Stika contended to commissioners that she didn’t feel secure because she was the only person camping at the lake that night.
Lake director Isaac Hett said Stika complained to him Sunday, but the couple hadn’t done anything wrong or caused any damage.
“She called them homeless because of the way their vehicle looks,” Hett said. “There are a lot of reasons people would take a shower out here. It was nothing out of the ordinary for the things that happen out here.”
After the couple left, Hett checked the showers and found that everything was fine.
Stika told commissioners that deputies arrived 10 minutes after the couple left.
Another couple often comes to shower and Stika has complained about them as well, Hett said, but not called the sheriff’s office about them.
Officials’ salaries
In other business Tuesday, commissioners set salaries for elected officials.
Salary was set at $75,920 for county attorney after commissioner Clarke Dirks said Michelle Brown was sharing time between two counties and that a part-time position should pay less than a full-time one.
Brown had planned to talk to commissioners about reducing her salary and putting the savings toward recruiting a new attorney to the county, but no such program to recruit a new attorney was discussed Tuesday.
Salary for Sheriff Jeff Soyez was set at $74,688. Salary for County Clerk Ashley Herpich was set at $65,724. Salary for County Treasurer Tina Groening was set at $65,724, an upward adjustment of $4,200 to bring it even with the clerk’s salary. Salary for Register of Deeds Shelby Schroeder was set at $56,350.
Commissioner Clarke Dirks proposed a 20% reduction in commissioner salaries, but was unsuccessful in the attempt.
Commissioners are paid $18,096 and were budgeted to be paid $18,458 in 2025.
Dirks said at last week’s meeting that he wanted to discuss a 20% salary reduction.
His suggestion Tuesday met resistance from commissioner Kent Becker, who said that although commissioners should look for ways to save taxpayers money, not everyone had an employer willing to pay them for time spent in commission meetings.
He routinely puts in about 400 miles a month as a commissioner, Becker said. He said he didn’t want to set pay so low that people wouldn’t run for commission.
Dirks’ recommended reduction would have been $14,477 with reduction of the current pay or $14,766 with reduction of the budgeted pay.
Commissioner Dave Crofoot moved to pay commissioners $18,458 as budgeted passed on a split 4-1 vote with Dirks opposed.