Regional labor crunch being felt in volunteers too
Volunteering is facing the same labor crunch impacting employers.
On Friday, Taylor County forest administrator Jake Walcisak warned members of the county forestry committee that additional staff time and equipment might be needed in the future to keep snowmobile trails open around the county.
Walcisak explained that as with other organizations the number of volunteers is going down and the volunteers themselves are getting older. Volunteers with local snowmobile clubs do the work of brushing, grading, installing culverts and signs and grooming trails. The clubs are reimbursed at a rate of $8.50 an hour for work done through state trail aids which come from a portion of the state gas tax.
According to Walcisak, the county, as the administrative agency overseeing the local trail network, is the entity that has the maintenance contract with the state. Without volunteers doing the work, the county would have the option of doing it with county staff or hiring a contractor to do it.
“This is where things are going,” Walcisak said of the move toward needing to hire contractors to maintain trail systems. He noted that the dollars available don’t change so the amount of work you can get done by hiring a contractor or paying a county employee is far less than what you are about to get from volunteers.
“I understand why you want to help out,” said committee member Mike Bub, however he opposed the idea of expanding county government, noting that when there are no longer any volunteers willing to maintain a trail, the county will need to close that trail.
He drew the comparison to the baseball fields in the city park and the group that has taken them over. “They have done a great job, it is getting used again,” he said, noting a major concern was continuing it after their kids are done. He said if they all went away, the city would not be going out to do the Little League.
“We are real easy to let organizations off the hook,” Bub said. “If they think there are no consequences why would they volunteer?”
Walcisak said that he would not seek doing any work beyond what the county received funding for. This could mean replacing three culverts instead of four in a year because the money wasn’t there for a fourth.
Bond policy
Taylor County is looking to tighten the rules for how surety bonds are handled when loggers enter contracts for timber sales.
A surety bond is a legal contract that ensures work will get done. In the case of a timber harvest, the company selling the bond is guaranteeing to the county that the logger will fulfill the terms of the contract. If the logger is not able to fulfill those terms, the company will resolve the situation, usually with a payout to a set amount.
According to Walcisak, the county has used surety bonds for years along with cash and letters of credit as a way to guarantee work will be done according to contract specifications. He said the bonds make up a very small percentage of the three. He explained that there are accounting and business practice reasons for loggers to choose any of the three options.
He said there were concerns raised recently with some of the bonds which caused Walcisak to approach the county’s attorney about reviewing the policy and redrafting it to mirror those in use in Clark County and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Committee members approved the new policy pending final review by the county’s attorney.
In other business, committee members:
_ Approved closing out sale number 661 pending final payment. The project had an overrun of 15 to 20% and generated about $47,000 in revenue for the county. The county had previously granted an extension through the end of the year for the project to give the logger more time to complete the work. Walcisak noted that the logger got it finished in about six weeks.
_ Retroactively approved having Quinton Tlusty work with the forestry department as part of a mentorship program with Medford Area Senior High School. Walcisak said he had been approached by the school about having the student work with them for two class periods each day and agreed to it patterning it on mentorships that have taken place in other county departments. He said they have been having him work in the office learning that side of things, but hope to arrange to take him out in the field later in the semester.
_ Received an update on a potential purchase for a parcel surrounded by the county forest. The county had been approached by the landowner interested in selling the parcel which contains a segment of the Ice Age Trail. Walcisak said the Ice Age Trail Alliance (IATA) was interested in partnering with the county on the parcel and the IATA is willing to pay for a third-party firm to do an appraisal on the property and may be willing to contribute toward the purchase price. Walcisak said the landowner is seeking an amount about $50,000 more that what he estimated it to be worth. If the county does eventually purchase the parcel, it would be eligible for Knowles-Nelson Stewardship funds which would reimburse up to half the purchase price.
