Portage Co. Planning & Zoning Director Jeff Schuler. (City-Times photo)

“I don’t want to add to county government; I think it should shrink.” -Barry Jacowski

By Brandi Makuski

Leaders from Portage County are considering a proposed reorganization in the Planning and Zoning department- a move which creates a new associate director position using existing personnel.

In a memo to the Planning & Zoning Committee, director Jeff Schuler on Tuesday outlined the need for the reorganization due to what he called “the expanding duties” of his department. Schuler said the new position would be largely supportive, acting as second-in-command in the department, and would also take over some duties of the dissolved associate planner for urban areas position, streamlining the department’s work.

Schuler estimated the change would cost between $1,631.73 and $3,239.50 annually but couldn’t be more specific until the proposed position was included in the county’s pay scale by Carlson Dettmann, the Madison- based consulting firm hired to create the county’s pay plan.

County Board Supervisors Stan Potocki, Barry Jacowski and Larry Raikowski. (City-Times photo)

“When instances come around, day to day, and I’m not around, people need their questions answered in a timely fashion,” Schuler said. “I think this small change allows us to react quickly in even small circumstances.”

The Planning & Zoning Department oversees a large part of county development. According the county documents the department has only 17 employees but oversees land conservation, planning/zoning, water quality, GIS, land records and economic development throughout the county.

The Committee voted 3-1 in favor of the new position, with Supervisor Barry Jacowski voting against. He said he thought there were more pressing concerns within county government.

“As I look at this proposal I realize there’s a lot of work that goes through this office. But we have a Sheriff’s department that’s understaffed, a highway department that isn’t clearing brush and grass isn’t getting mowed, we have an EMS system that isn’t adequate, and we have a courthouse and a jail and a county (nursing) home that needs work,” Jacowski said, adding he didn’t believe Schuler’s department should be involved with growing the county’s economy.

“I think there’s other professional entities in Portage County that charged with economic development,” Jacowski said. “I don’t think this committee- or Planning and Zoning- should be the driving force behind economic development. I don’t want to add to county government; I think it should shrink.”

Jacowski, along with fellow Supervisor Stan Potocki, questioned the cost estimates for the new position, but Schuler said definite answers would come after the position was placed into the pay scale by Carlson Dettmann.

“This is my first time going through this, so I don’t know,” Schuler said. “That’s all part of the pay scale; we’ll have to wait to hear from Carlson Dettmann. At the next human resources meeting we could look at where this would fit and give you a much closer idea of what that cost might be. But for the money you’d invest it would be more than adequate.”

Portage Co. Executive Patty Dreier said she’s in favor of retooling any department’s existing resources.

“I’m all for it; things are wildly changing and we have to step up,” Dreier said. “Whenever we create depth in an organization we’re not top heavy, we’ve bottom heavy, actually, and that makes us stronger.”

Drier added she was supporting a similar model of reorganization within the health and human services and county facilities departments.

Supervisor Bud Flood said he agreed with the idea but said the committee needed to be careful of cost.

“I mean, if this comes in a $50,000, we’d had to reconsider this,” Flood said. “But concept-wise, we agree we should have a number 2 person in this department; then deal with the cost factor.”

County Supervisors have until August 15 to forward the formal request for the new position to Dreier for inclusion in the 2015 county budget. Schuler is expected to provide additional information at the July 22 committee meeting.