After a closed-session debate, the Vilas County Board of Supervisors voted to increase compensation for county Finance Director Darcy Smith during its May meeting.

Smith was hired for the position in 2021 which was vacant at the time. Although she had more years of government accounting and financial experience than the individual she was replacing, she was hired at a lower salary rate than they had been paid.

The Human Resources Committee recognized the position of finance director was undercompensated for, and with other counties also recruiting for the position recommended that the salary be increased. The committee recommended the increase to be done in three steps, effective the first full payroll in June of this year to $127,545 annually. The resolution adopted by the board states this is the maximum of the current pay range for the position.

In addition, the Human Resources Committee also recommended that three annual market adjustments also be made to the salary, with a one-time payment of $7,000 effective the first full payroll of June 2026, a one-time payment of $8,000 effective in June 2027, and a one-time payment of $9,000 effective in June 2028.

The pay increase also was supported by the Finance and Budget Committee, which also recommended the one-time increase in pay be funded by the Contingency Fund.

According to the resolution, Smith will enter into a three-year noncompete agreement with the county before any salary increase or one-time payments are given.

The pay increase was passed by the board on a roll-call vote by 17 of the 18 supervisors in attendance.

Justice Center chiller

The board had budgeted $300,000 in 2026 to replace the rooftop chiller unit that serves the Justice Center and has reached the end of its lifespan. After an engineering firm assessed the system, it was learned that additional parts as well as a larger capacity chiller was needed, which exceeded the budgeted amount by approximately $85,000.

Other budgeted project bids had come in lower than expected, leading to a surplus of nearly $39,000 which will be applied to bridge the gap in funding. But there was still just more than $46,000 needed to complete the chiller project, which was requested to come from the General Fund.

Vice Chair Carolyn Ritter recommended that the resolution be amended to a larger amount so there would be no need for a special meeting in the case of other unexpected costs arising.

The board passed the resolution to use up to $56,000 from the General Fund for the project.

Supervisor Joe Muehlbach thanked the board for their approval of the additional funds. He also said the improvement to the system would likely last much longer than the original system, which was undersized for its purpose.

Other business

The board discussed or acted on a number of other agenda items during the May 26 meeting.

A 1.22-acre parcel of county-owned land in the town of Cloverland, appraised at $500, will be sold on Wisconsin Surplus. Forest Administrator Chad Keranen told the board the acquisition occurred in the 1940s when Highway G was constructed but is no longer needed. As the small piece of land surrounds a neighbor’s property, the landowner has expressed interest in purchasing it.
Keranen also brought up a possible future discussion on standing rules which dictate that county land be sold by auction. He noted this could lead to the neighboring property owner being outbid on Wisconsin Surplus.

Darcy Smith and Mike Duerning gave an update on the Enterprise Resource Planning system which is underway. The project aims to integrate core processes from several disconnected systems into one.

Smith highlighted that it would help streamline financial and personnel systems to track invoicing, employee records, timekeeping, scheduling and much more.
They currently use Excel spreadsheets to keep track, which Smith said can lead to errors when keying in information. “We need easy access to accurate data,” she said.

Legwork on the project began last August, and there are a number of steps to move through this summer as they start getting proposals and demonstrations from different companies.

“This is a huge time commitment,” Smith said. “A lot of work has been done on the front end, but there is still a lot of work to be done.”

She expects to have numbers to present ahead of the county budget hearing in October assuming they stay on schedule throughout the summer. It’s a lot of work, but Smith says the long-term benefits and efficiencies will be worth it.
“The departments are excited to get the information they need at their fingertips,” she said.

The board also okayed a public participation plan for the Vilas County Farmland Preservation Plan and recertification, and amended budgets for the Board of Health and the Land and Water Conservation Department.

Finally, Barbara Helmick was appointed as the ADRC Committee citizen member, replacing Patricia Tucker, and Steve Budnik was reappointed to the Board of Adjustment to serve July 2026 through June 2029.

The next Vilas County board meeting will be held Tuesday, June 23, at 9 a.m. at the courthouse.