Adecision of who will be the next Carneiro Township treasurer was tabled during Monday’s meeting of the Ellsworth County Commission.

Township Trustee Kelly Cikanek said Gale Bettenbrock recently resigned that post. Cikanek recommended the commissioners appoint Angie Ptacek as the new township treasurer.

However, Gretchen Griffith voiced concerns with Ptacek. Griffith noted Ptacek’s husband, Mike, is the township clerk, and those two together would constitute a quorum. Griffith also suggested that county business would be likely discussed between the two at home.

Griffith submitted her letter of application to the commissioners to run for the vacancy.

“I don’t think we need to decide this today,” Commissioner Dennis Rolfs said.

Commission Chairman Greg Bender said he wanted to check on a couple of things before making a decision.

In other business:

• Jerry Marsh said he enjoyed the comments Ellsworth County Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Jim Kirkbride gave during an interview with the Independent-Reporter for a story in last week’s newspaper about Dr. Ronald Whitmer and Dr. Jerzy Slomka. However, he asked why hospital officials didn’t give similar consideration to Dr. Katie McWilliams. McWilliams left ECMC several months ago.

Marsh asked why the hospital board meetings do not include a public forum so patrons can express their views on hospital business. He hoped the commissioners could use their influence to get a public forum started at the board meetings.

“I don’t think that we can afford to lose quality people like Dr. McWilliams,” Marsh said.

• Dale Houston of the County Road and Bridge Department submitted a $3,213,688 budget request for 2024. That is 12.4 percent higher than the $2,860,000 requested for 2023.

Houston noted the biggest increase was in wages ($50,000).

Rolfs said he had a hard time justifying that and compared them to Rice County. He suggested the department do with what it has. Noting the department has 18 employees, which, according to Houston is one short, Rolfs said perhaps the department could do without that one employee for a while.

• Brett Goss of the Ellsworth County Fair Association submitted a 2024 budget request of $16,500. He said insurance is his biggest budget item.

“We’ll do the best we can do,” Bender said.

• Sheriff Murray Marston submitted a 2024 budget request of $1,580,229. That is a 7.6 percent increase from the $1,469,000 requested in 2023.

“What it boils down to is personnel and equipment costs to keep things going,” Marston said.

In a related matter, approval was given to pay $22,371.35 to Lock It Technology, Beloit, to upgrade the sheriff ’s office server. The funds to pay for the work will be taken from the county equipment fund.

Marston said the current server has reached the end of its life and the sheriff office cannot function without a new one.

“We’ve got to have it,” he noted.

• County Treasurer Geneva Schneider requested a 2024 budget of $195,000, up 5.4 percent from the $185,000 received for 2023.

Schneider said she added a little more for wages, but her biggest expenditure is on postage.

• No action was taken after a five-minute executive session with County Clerk Shelly Vopat to discuss non-elected personnel (the Family Medical Leave Act).

The next meeting of the Ellsworth County Commission is at 9 a.m. Monday, July 10, at the county courthouse.