NEW ULM — Brown County Commissioners established 2021 salaries for county officials and their own salaries and per diem Tuesday.

Commissioners approved raising their annual salaries 2% to $26,705 in 2021, plus $1,500 additional for the board chair and $500 for the vice chair. Commissioner Tony Berg made the motion, seconded by Commissioner Dave Borchert. Daily per diem remained at $75.

County officials also received raises, all on motions by Berg, seconded by Borchert.

• Highway Engineer Wayne Stevens, 3% raise to $125,660.

• Human Services Director Barb Dietz, 3%, $115,566.

• Probation Director Les Schultz, 3.5%, $119,353. (His 2020 salary was incorrectly listed at $155,317 in Tuesday’s Journal).

• Sheriff Jason Seidl, 6%, $111,265. Commissioner Berg said Seidl was $7,000 below the 15-county mean.

• Recorder Betti Kamolz, 3.5%, $83,893.

• Auditor/Treasurer Jean Prochniak, 3%, $103,000.

• County Attorney Chuck Hanson, 3.6%, $124,320.

• County Administrator Sam Hansen, 7%, $126,316. It was noted that Hansen’s salary was $13.4% below the 15-county mean.

Commissioners unanimously approved:

• Boosting Shawn Stoermann’s 0.75 FTE (full-time equivalent) planning and zoning department emergency manager position to full time as of Jan. 1, 2020.

“I think Mr. Stoermann has done a lot with the position,” said Commissioner Scott Windschitl. “I think it’s really needed.”

Other commissioners echoed those thoughts.

“I’m getting that feedback from public health,” said Commissioner Borchert.

“It’s a tangled web and he’s working with police and fire departments,” said Commissioner Dean Simonsen.

County Administrator Hansen said full-time job funding was part of the 2021 county budget.

In other business, the board approved:

• Mental health provider agreements for the 2021 mental health client assistance program with Sioux Trails Mental Health Center, Eunoia Family Resource Center, Hoffmann Counseling Services and Chris Davis (Prairie Family Counseling, LLC), motion by Commissioner Windschitl, seconded by Commissioner Borchert.

• A memorandum of understanding to continue a parent support group funded by opioid grant funds Brown County receives from the Minnesota Department of Human Services, motion by Commissioner Jeff Veerkamp, seconded by Commmissioner Berg.

• The 2021 MRCI Extended Employment Contract at $206.62 per month, per client, for community employment, a 2% increase over the 2020 rate, motion by Commissioner Simonsen, seconded by Commissioner Windschitl.

• A 2021 guardian/conservatorship contract with Lutheran Social Services (LSS) at $320 per month/per client, motion by Commissioner Simonsen, seconded by Commissioner Berg.

• Guardianship 2021contract with Ethical Solutions, LLC, motion by Commissioner Simonsen, seconded by Commissioner Berg. Former LSS guardian and supervisor Shannon Butler requests $47 per hour or $25 when traveling more than 30 miles one way.

• Accepted a $200 anonymous donation to Brown County Probation for individuals in financial need, motion by Commissioner Veerkamp, seconded by Commissioner Borchert. A $100 Visa card and two $50 Visa cards were received.

• UHL’s $152,650 low bid to install a Law Enforcement Center (LEC) video and door security system, motion by Commissioner Windschitl, seconded by Commissioner Berg. ElectroWatchman bid $177,172.16 and Stanley Security Solutions bid $450,250.

• Beginning the process to exit the Minnesota Merit Personnel System (MMPS), authorizing Human Resource Director Ruth Schaefer to send a letter of intent to leave the MMPS to the Minnesota Dept. of Human Services, motion by Commissioner Simonsen, seconded by Commissioner Berg.

The request read that the annual MMPS cost to Brown County rose from $12,924 in 2020 to $19,832 in 2021 and it is anticipated costs will rise as more and more counties choose to do the work through their own human resource departments.

(Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com).