NEW ULM — Brown County Commissioners will consider renewal of a 2020 consulting services contract with a Plymouth firm for assistance as needed to address union labor contract matters on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

The meeting begins at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28 in the courthouse commissioner’s room.

The proposed contract with Madden Galanter Hansen, LLP, reflects an hourly rate from $157 per hour to $170 in 2020 for basic labor relations services and from $165 to $180 for representation in arbitration and administrative hearings.

Commissioners will also consider:

• A 2019 Holiday Projects Report from Human Services Supervisor Laura Whittington and Support Specialist Assistant Stephanie Lingle. The report reviews the Adopt-A-Family, Santa’s Closet and Coats for Kids projects.

Thanks to the generosity and commendable efforts of 65 county groups, families and individuals, the projects were very successful, the report says.

Project contributions were valued at $58,500 and benefitted 307 households including 836 children, adults, disabled persons and/or elderly living in Brown County.

The report recognizes Lingle for her work as a project assistant. She processed more than 450 referrals, coordinated program matches, handled mailings and tracked responses and outcomes for the Santa’s Closet and Coats For Kids projects.

Opal Dewanz volunteered for the 17th consecutive year and gave nearly 175 hours of volunteer time and effort to coordinate the Adopt-A-Family project.

In addition, a friend of Opal’s assisted her with the completion of all 104 recipient profiles sent to participating donors, plus one of her granddaughters helped with shopping.

fbusch@nujournal.com