fbpx
Connect with us

Local

Paying more for some La Crosse County workers

Published

on

Some employees of La Crosse County could get a pay raise in next year’s budget.

The county is preparing to extend a contract for sheriff’s deputies and increase the pay for highway workers.

County administrator Steve O’Malley says both measures could help attract new employees, and keep ones already on the job.

“Frankly the deputies (said) we needed to keep pace with other law enforcement agencies,” O’Malley said. “And, in the highway area, we’ve just had so much turnover because, again, the private sector pays better than the public sector, and we’re just trying to retain employees.”

The highway department raise would be 1.2 percent and deputies could get a base adjustment, along with 1.75 percent yearly increases.

The raises could be approved when the 2019 budget comes up for a vote by the county board next month. The deputies could see raises if they get a three-year extension on the contract that’s about to expire at the end of the year.

The sheriff’s department increases could mean an extra $69,000 in wages next year, plus $32,000 for the highway staff.

O’Malley says there would still be a decrease in tax rates for the average county resident.

A native of Prairie du Chien, Brad graduated from UW - La Crosse and has worked in radio news for more than 30 years, mostly in the La Crosse area. He regularly covers local courts and city and county government. Brad produces the features "Yesterday in La Crosse" and "What's Buried on Brad's Desk." He also writes the website "Triviazoids," which finds odd connections between events that happen on a certain date, and he writes and performs with the local comedy group Heart of La Crosse. Brad been featured on several national TV programs because of his memory skills.

Continue Reading
1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. roger thornhill

    October 18, 2018 at 11:18 am

    i like how it didnt tell us how much they make now and how much they would make with the raise, great reporting

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *