Tuesday, December 21, 2010
 
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Logan County Board members get committee assignments

(Originally posted Monday)

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[December 21, 2010]  Eleven days following the Logan County Board's biennial reorganization, board-elected chairman Bob Farmer announced his proposed committee assignments.

InsuranceThe list was distributed to board members in time for the Thursday evening board-of-whole meeting. Farmer asked for responses before Tuesday's adjourned session, when the board would be asked to approve the assignments.

It is important for any successful chairman to know his or her fellow board members and their skills. The primary work of the board is as administrators of the county as a whole and is carried out month to month, with most of the details beginning and worked out in committees.

New to the board are M.E. "Gene" Rohlfs, District 4; Arthur "Andy" Anderson, District 5; and Andrew L. Meister, District 3. Of these three, only Gene Rohlfs was named to chair a committee, which was for the airport and farm. Rohlfs had been attending that committee and other meetings regularly for most of the past year.

Observing the absence of freshman assignments to committees and committee chair positions, Anderson spoke up, saying it was an imbalance of power and district representation. He felt that it was important, having been elected by districts, to have equality between all board members for each to be able answer to the public.

Addressing Farmer, he said, "I mean you no disrespect, and I recognize that this is the way it has been for many years."

He called for equality for all board members to serve on committees and as chairmen.

"It should be a level playing field with the same number of committees for all," Anderson said.

He illustrated with the Lincoln City Council, saying: "The city has 10 aldermen. There are 10 committees, and every ward is represented in every committee. Every alderman is chairman of one committee."

Anderson also pointed out that city aldermen are also equal in pay -- that assignments distributed evenly equalizes power and pay.

Board members are paid $35 per diem. Any day they attend one or more committee meetings, they get $35 plus mileage. Some meetings are scheduled back-to-back; other meetings are at different times throughout the workday or in the evening.

Various board members responded to Anderson:

Kevin Bateman: I started out as chairman of no committees.

There are things that the county board does during the business day.

Working out of town, he said, "I can't make it to a lot of these things."

___

Patrick O'Neill: "I'm not a chairman of any committees."

O'Neill has been appointed liaison to outside entities: Community Action and waste management.

___

Terry Carlton: Those assignments are difficult to put down. You just make your best choices.

There's a difference between being chair of a committee and a member. Gene will find himself out at the airport a few times a week.

___

Chuck Ruben: Trust me, people, it's not a blessing to be chairman your first year. I was made finance chairman my first year.

You've got to get to know people their first year. And, you don't know the history (of county business) the first year out.

___

[to top of second column]

Bob Farmer: It took me a long time to figure it out.

___

David Hepler: I wouldn't be surprised, as the year rolls on, I expect there will be changes.

Farmer succeeds Terry Carlton as board chairman.

Carlton surprised many people when he won chairmanship as a freshman county board member, an unusual feat. However, Carlton brought a background of administrative skills, including contract negotiation; he had a strong vision for the county's future; and he had attended most committee and full board meetings for a year prior to his swearing in.

Carlton's chairmanship saw revision of the board's policy and procedures, which needed updating mostly related to technology changes; and the formation of the Tax Reduction Task Force, which took a hard look at the county's revenue sources, expenses and all the county assets, which led to several measures that provided savings -- such as a change in hours that qualify an employee for IMRF -- and finding some added revenues.

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Board bylaws do not allow consecutive chairmanships.

Following the reorganization meeting on Dec 6, Carlton reflected on his chairmanship and said that he was most pleased with the work that was begun on strategic planning for the county's future. He also said that he sees more work he would like to do and would hope to be chairman again, if given the chance.

For Farmer, this is his second chairmanship of the full board. He follows in the footsteps of two others who also served two chairmanships in the past decade: Dick Logan and Dale Voyles.

In 2002 the Logan County Board reorganized on a district basis for the first time. A factor that could have influence in the next board reorganization, which comes in two years, is that every 10 years it is put to the voters to decided whether to have county representation by district or at large.

[By JAN YOUNGQUIST]

Past related articles

County board members and committee assignments

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