Submitted Photo Maj. Paul Olthoff speaks to the Ward County Commission about staffing issues Tuesday.

Ward County will be offering on-call pay to correctional officers and bonuses for recruiting new co-workers in an effort to address a worker shortage at the Ward County Detention Center.

Maj. Paul Olthoff, jail commander, alerted the Ward County Commission Tuesday to the difficulty in filling shifts and maintaining the minimum staffing of six officers, because of several vacant positions in the department.

“We have been having real problems trying to cover shifts,” Olthoff said. Recently, the jail had 20 shifts open and was able to fill only one, he said. With 166 inmates currently, six officers are necessary, he said.

The commission approved his recommendation to follow the lead of Grand Forks County and offer employees $75 as an incentive to agree to be on call for a shift. If called in, the employee would get the $75 plus regular wages. Olthoff said the policy would end if the center becomes fully staffed at 52 employees.

“It would more be for covering night shifts and weekends. That’s when we really need it,” Oltholff said. “One of the problems is we have a wing filled with 80 people and we have one person. Normally, there’s two to be fully staffed. But that one person has to do all the checks, all the meals, everything. It’s very taxing.”

It lowers employee morale when they must do double the work because of short staffing, he said.

The commission also approved a $500 bonus to employees who recruit other workers who stay at least six months.

Commission Chairman John Fjeldahl said if the program is successful, the county could consider its use in other departments. Areas where the county has current openings include the state’s attorney’s office and bookmobile. It is in the process of filling an open IT position.

Ward County Highway Engineer Dana Larsen said staffing could be an issue for his department in the near future. Eight of the department’s 31 employees have announced retirements in the next couple of years, and a couple more would be eligible, he said. These positions often require a commercial driver’s license or special equipment skills.

“There’s going to be some challenges moving forward in finding employees because we have seen in the industry they are short. Typically the industry pays more than the county does,” Larsen said. “Hopefully, we can recruit. That’s going to be a challenge.”