September 5, 2017 at 8:25 a.m.
Hartman wants mechanic for sheriff's department
Discussion includes comments about potential challenger to incumbent sheriff
Hartman wants mechanic for sheriff's department
Committee chairman Robb Jensen said the item was placed on the panel's agenda following a recent meeting of the labor relations and employee services committee.
"There was a proposal by the sheriff to have a full-time mechanic somewhere at the sheriff's department," he said.
"He's got extra money for that, the sheriff does?" committee member Scott Holewinski asked.
"He said they did," committee member Sonny Paszak, who is also a member of the LRES committee, replied.
"Isn't it amazing how they find money in their budget," Holewinski said. "We can't."
"According to the sheriff ..." Jensen began.
"A new sheriff in town," Holewinski said, joking.
"There's going to be somebody running," committee member Ted Cushing said, indicating that Hartman may face some competition when his post is up for election in November 2018.
"You think I get in trouble," Jensen said to Holewinski, laughing. "You can be quoted unbelievably."
"They expect that out of me, Robb," Holewinski said.
"He (Hartman) already has competition," Cushing said, without sharing any further information.
Jensen tried again.
"The sheriff indicated that he felt ... right now, we send a highway department mechanic over to work on the (sheriff's) vehicles, correct?" he asked highway commissioner Bruce Stefonek. "That is correct," Stefonek said.
"20 hours a week," Cushing chimed in.
"Well, that was debated about how many hours a week," Jensen said.
"That's what he (Hartman) said," Cushing said.
"The feeling at the sheriff's department is things weren't getting done as quickly as they would have liked," Jensen said.
"Of course," Holewinski replied.
"He kind of caught me by surprise that this was an issue," Jensen continued. "That we weren't getting things done for the sheriff's department."
Jensen said Hartman told him his department spends around $88,000 a year in labor to have various department vehicles worked on.
"The sheriff, within their budget, was going to be able to do this," Jensen said. "I said, 'I'm fine with it.' They think they can do that but it does bring up some other questions."
"They can never cut nothing from their budget, but when they want something, they can find the money," Holewinski interjected.
Jensen said he is concerned about the potential impact on the highway department's 2018 budget if the mechanic's position for the sheriff's department is ultimately approved.
"Yeah, how does that effect our budget?" Holewinski asked.
Jensen said he believes there's work at the highway department that its mechanics can do instead of working on sheriff's vehicles.
"It's not really going to hurt us," he said.
"There's more than enough work to do," Stefonek said.
Cushing said Hartman told the LRES committee when the sheriff's department can't get one of its patrol vehicles on the road there's a serious problem.
He pointed at Stefonek.
"I said 'When they have a patrol truck they can't get on the road, it's a serious problem,'" Cushing said. "Then he also said by the time he gets done paying all the charges, the overheads and everything else, he can do it cheaper if he has his own guy there."
"With benefits, he can, right?" Holewinski said. "You know, it just amazes me because we asked the sheriff to cut, but when he wants something he always finds it in his budget."
Cushing said Hartman's department has $1 million in revenue from housing prisoners.
"No, that's ours," Holewinski said.
"It's coming back to the general fund," Cushing said.
Paszak said he brought up the issue during the LRES meeting.
"Which part, Sonny, did you bring up?" Holewinski asked.
"I brought up the mechanics here," Paszak said. "I brought up the fact that they needed another one."
Then he looked at Stefonek.
"My question is, Bruce, did we have too much that we couldn't take care of or what?" Paszak asked.
'That's all I said'
Stefonek then attempted to explain the origin of Hartman's request.
"It got back to me that the sheriff said that I told him that as of the first of the year we're no longer going to be sending a mechanic to the sheriff's department," he said. "I did not tell him that. And there's a misunderstanding. First of all, I would bring that (decision) to the committee. I would never make that decision on my own."
"Because you'd be in trouble if you did that," Holewinski said.
"Second of all," Stefonek continued. "There was a misunderstanding. What I did say was we have a hard time getting our own equipment completed and getting it back on the road by sending our mechanic over there one to two days a week. If you don't believe me, just walk out there right now and see how many trucks are in the bays. We can't get them done."
"I agree with you," Holewinski said.
"That's all I said," Stefonek said.
"It means everybody's busy," Holewinski said.
"Well, the thing of it is, I don't like it when people put words in my mouth," Stefonek said.
Cushing said it didn't matter and the matter was settled.
"I would hope we're gonna get these bays emptied," he said. "Because you're not gonna send a guy over there starting in 2018. It doesn't start immediately, I don't think."
"It starts when?" Holewinski asked.
"It starts Jan. 1," Cushing responded.
Jensen said the mechanic request would have to be examined as part of the county's budget process.
"It's not unforseen that someone may ask the question 'How does this department seem to come up with the money for things they need but yet when we look for cuts the money's never there."
"The only cuts they do is the ones the public wants us to keep," Holewinski said.
"Notice I said 'departments in general,'" Jensen said. "I did not specifically say a department of ... but no, I think the good part of this is it's going to allow us (the highway department) to stay up on our repairs and things."
"Exactly," Cushing said.
Holewinski got in one last shot.
"They don't want anybody from the outside there," he said, referring to the Oneida County Law Enforcement Center. "They want it all under the jurisdiction of the sheriff. No one knows what's going on in that building."
Jensen also noted there is apparently some money available in the sheriff's budget for a vehicle lift.
Committee member Mike Timmons said a request for a lift has been made but he was told this would be in addition to the lift already in a service bay at the Oneida County Law Enforcement Center.
"I think he's gonna add a lift," Cushing said.
"They're finding that money too, huh?" Holewinski said, before advising Timmons, who chairs the county's public safety committee which oversees the sheriff's department, to take a close look at the sheriff's budget this fall.
"I think there's lots of money hidden in different pockets there," Holewinski said.
Reason for other lift
In an interview with The Lakeland Times, Hartman explained his proposal.
The arrangement with the highway department is working but there are issues, he said.
For example, anytime there's a snowstorm the sheriff's department doesn't have access to the mechanic because he's needed for snowplow breakdowns.
While acknowledging he probably won't get approval for the mechanic position, Hartman said it would be a zero budget increase for the county as the cost would be offset by what the department pays private vendors to work on its vehicles.
The law enforcement facility has a lift, Hartman said, to do work on light trucks, squad cars and SUVs.
As another feature of his proposed 2018 budget, he said he is asking for a heavier duty lift that would be installed at the county's HAZMAT building on River Street.
That lift would be able to handle ambulances.
Brian Jopek may be reached via email at [email protected]
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