(KNOX) –At Tuesday’s Grand Forks County Commission meeting, tensions rose during a discussion over an employee discipline policy. The meeting included County Commissioners, Sheriff Andy Schneider and State’s Attorney Hailey Wamstad. Schneider had concerns about how this proposed policy would affect his ability to take certain actions as the head of his department.
The policy was proposed by County Commissioner Terry Bjerke and the vote failed 3-2. Bob Rost, Mark Rustad and Kimberly Hagen voted against it, while Bjerke and Tony Hodny voted in favor.
The policy would have established guidelines and revised how the county handles employee performance, as well as an employee’s conduct, safety, attendance and policy concerns.
Wamstad and the commissioners explained that the purpose of the policy was to report disciplinary actions to HR. They also said the policy intended to make sure that discipline is consistent for multiple departments, but that department heads or the county administrator can still make their own disciplinary decisions. Schneider believes that part of this policy would usurp his authority to make disciplinary actions.
Bjerke and Schneider would end up having a verbal exchange over an email Bjerke says he sent to Schneider two weeks before Tuesday’s meeting. Last year, the commission voted 3-2 to have Schneider manage the correctional center and its employees. Schneider says he is too preoccupied to respond to Bjerke right away.
After the vote, Rustad motioned to table the policy until the next commission meeting and that vote passed unanimously.
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