Utah County commissioners approve revised 2023 staffing plan after extended debate over clerk auditor split and other posts
November 22, 2022 | Utah County Commission Meeting Minutes, Utah County Commission, Utah County Commission and Boards, Utah County, Utah
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The Utah County Commission approved a revised 2023 staffing plan after a lengthy work session and debate over dozens of proposed personnel changes, including the organizational split of the clerk-auditor office and several health, public-safety and administrative positions.
Ralph Barnes, the county's human resources director, told commissioners the staffing plan they approved reduces roughly 70 positions from pandemic-era hiring, removes eight previously red-lighted attorney positions and consolidates several other changes that took place administratively during 2022. Rudy Livingston, budget manager, presented a master list of new requests and the tentative budget impact.
Commissioners agreed to several targeted changes. They added a new elected clerk position to reflect the upcoming official split of the clerk-auditor office, eliminated a chief deputy position for the office and added confidential assistant coverage; they approved the removal of two JET (pilot) positions in the attorney's office; and they approved a public-services supervisor role to support the marriages/passports and public-services functions while leaving details of titles and final reporting lines to the incoming elected officials.
On public-safety and operations items, the commission approved hiring a dedicated drone pilot for mosquito abatement after commissioners weighed contracting alternatives; they approved an additional corrections nurse and a records supervisor for the sheriff's office; and they approved one in-county wildland fire lieutenant (reimbursable positions for out-of-county deployments were treated separately). Several sheriff and UCAP (opioid-related) positions were left restricted pending grant funding or further justification.
Health department requests were split: commissioners approved upgrades for several immunization and welcome baby positions and promoted some existing staff but declined to add a proposed sanitation-bureau director, instead asking staff to revisit the department's structure and potential fee adjustments in 2024. The commission approved an epidemiology bureau director and one public-health nurse supervisor as priorities; additional epidemiology hires were put in a restricted status to allow midyear review.
Information-technology and auditor office asks were selectively approved: commissioners approved a senior programmer to support the county website and a senior analyst in the auditor's office; they declined several across-the-board supervisor upgrades for programmers and held the ERP (enterprise resource planning) project manager request for further review.
Commissioner Sakovich pressed for limits on adding new funded positions that might force layoffs in January; commissioners repeatedly noted that position changes in the staffing plan take effect Jan. 1 and that filled positions removed later could trigger a reduction-in-force process. Commissioners directed staff to hold some approvals in a restricted status so hires could not proceed until the commission explicitly releases those funds.
Rudy will take this information and create a budget, Livingston said. I will have the total of what we're increasing and the master scorecard for next week for the budget.
The commission voted to adopt the staffing plan as amended by a recorded voice vote. Commissioners said they expect to revisit some items during the formal budget hearings next week.
The staffing-plan vote sets budget direction for dozens of departments and will be reflected in next week's budget adoption steps.
Ralph Barnes, the county's human resources director, told commissioners the staffing plan they approved reduces roughly 70 positions from pandemic-era hiring, removes eight previously red-lighted attorney positions and consolidates several other changes that took place administratively during 2022. Rudy Livingston, budget manager, presented a master list of new requests and the tentative budget impact.
Commissioners agreed to several targeted changes. They added a new elected clerk position to reflect the upcoming official split of the clerk-auditor office, eliminated a chief deputy position for the office and added confidential assistant coverage; they approved the removal of two JET (pilot) positions in the attorney's office; and they approved a public-services supervisor role to support the marriages/passports and public-services functions while leaving details of titles and final reporting lines to the incoming elected officials.
On public-safety and operations items, the commission approved hiring a dedicated drone pilot for mosquito abatement after commissioners weighed contracting alternatives; they approved an additional corrections nurse and a records supervisor for the sheriff's office; and they approved one in-county wildland fire lieutenant (reimbursable positions for out-of-county deployments were treated separately). Several sheriff and UCAP (opioid-related) positions were left restricted pending grant funding or further justification.
Health department requests were split: commissioners approved upgrades for several immunization and welcome baby positions and promoted some existing staff but declined to add a proposed sanitation-bureau director, instead asking staff to revisit the department's structure and potential fee adjustments in 2024. The commission approved an epidemiology bureau director and one public-health nurse supervisor as priorities; additional epidemiology hires were put in a restricted status to allow midyear review.
Information-technology and auditor office asks were selectively approved: commissioners approved a senior programmer to support the county website and a senior analyst in the auditor's office; they declined several across-the-board supervisor upgrades for programmers and held the ERP (enterprise resource planning) project manager request for further review.
Commissioner Sakovich pressed for limits on adding new funded positions that might force layoffs in January; commissioners repeatedly noted that position changes in the staffing plan take effect Jan. 1 and that filled positions removed later could trigger a reduction-in-force process. Commissioners directed staff to hold some approvals in a restricted status so hires could not proceed until the commission explicitly releases those funds.
Rudy will take this information and create a budget, Livingston said. I will have the total of what we're increasing and the master scorecard for next week for the budget.
The commission voted to adopt the staffing plan as amended by a recorded voice vote. Commissioners said they expect to revisit some items during the formal budget hearings next week.
The staffing-plan vote sets budget direction for dozens of departments and will be reflected in next week's budget adoption steps.
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