Commissioner Bruce Martinson has been working hard to compile data comparing the staffing levels of 12 counties considered comparable to Cook County in population and size. He presented the information to the county board on November 11, 2013.
Comparing one county to the next is complicated, because counties don’t all do business the same. Positions in one department in one county may be in another department in another county. Some counties share staff with other counties, some counties provide services such as motor vehicle licensing that other counties do not, and some counties outsource some services such as information technology.
When providing statistics on her department, County Assessor Betty Schultz noted that her assessors have to travel very far to reach some properties, some of which can only be accessed by minimally maintained roads, trails or water.
In reporting statistics on his department, Planning & Zoning Director Tim Nelson noted that his staff processed 430 permits in a recent year, the highest number of all 12 counties. The average number of permits processed among the 12 counties was 155, and the median was 106. Cook County’s Planning & Zoning Department also covered more work areas than any of the other counties. It is responsible for planning and zoning, solid waste, wetlands, storm water, environmental health, wildfire sprinkler systems, and septics.
Martinson compared six departments in the 12 counties by the number of employees per 1,000 residents. Cook County’s maintenance, personnel, veteran services, public health and human services, attorney’s and sheriff ’s departments employ a total of 9.48 people per 1,000 residents. The average among the 12 counties was 8.8.
Cook County’s planning and zoning, information systems, auditor’s, assessor’s, and recorder’s departments were compared with the other counties by number of employees per 1,000 taxable parcels. Cook County employs 2.61 people per 1,000 taxable parcels in these departments, compared to an average of 2.25 among all the counties.
Cook County’s highway department employs 7.4 people per 100 linear miles of state aid and local roads, compared to an average of 5.1 people among all the counties. Per 100 square miles, the department employs 1.5 people, compared to an average among all the counties of 2.2 people per 100 square miles. Recycling Center position
The board approved hiring Tyler Maruska for the position that opened at the Recycling Center when Rick Sturm was hired to be the facility’s operator.
Six people were interviewed out of an applicant pool of 19. The interview team consisted of Brian Silence, Rick Sturm, and Tim Nelson. Maruska’s three years of experience on temporary assignments at the Recycling Center gave him a leg up over other applicants.
Planning & Zoning Director Tim Nelson said Maruska has been a model employee and does very well at the job.
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