Woodbury County Board of Supervisors approves new MOU for attorney’s office

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — After more than a month of debate and disagreement , the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors have approved a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to be presented to workers in the county attorney’s office.

The MOU offers increased wages and other benefits. Supervisors have stated the package is being presented as a way to fill a backlog of vacant positions in the county attorney’s office, including several vacant assistant positions in recent years.

Supervisors chairman Matthew Ung and fellow supervisor Dan Bittinger first presented an MOU in August , only to have union members unanimously vote against the offer. Since then, supervisors, residents, union officials and other county employees have weighed in on the plan .

Two weeks ago, supervisors Mark Nelson and Keith Radig took over the MOU process . Now, Tuesday night’s 4-1 vote by supervisors puts a new proposal back in front of union members.

“I’ve heard you say this over and over again and it gets my goat, is that it’s a gift,” Nelson told the board on Tuesday. “I don’t think it’s a gift, I think it’s a fix. This problem existed when [former county attorney P.J. Jennings] was here. I’ve been hearing about this for the past four years.”

“This is intended for recruitment and retention in the attorney’s office, which has for two years been extremely understaffed,” Radig said. “To anybody that can’t understand that, I’m sorry.”

It has been reported that the new MOU includes around 90 percent of what was included in the first proposal. New to the MOU is language that provides for an annual three percent pay raise to be paid out twice a year at one and one-half percent instead of annually.

Several county department heads attended Tuesday’s meeting, with some voicing concerns about the precedent the MOU presents.

“The original MOU that was discussed back in August was for recruitment purposes,” Woodbury County Treasurer Tina Bertrand said. “This has become a retention issue purpose now. I understand that is important, but retention is important in my office as well.”

“Yes, I am in favor of [the MOU],” Woodbury County sheriff Chad Sheehan said. “But I can be in favor of it and have concerns about the slippery slope that has occurred here in the process. Two things can be true at the same time.”

The new MOU is expected to go before union members in the attorney’s office soon.

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