Board approves hiring and budget housekeeping; deletes two vacant positions

The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 3 approved a set of recruitment requests from multiple departments and made adjustments to the county's position allocation table at a meeting heavy with personnel discussion.

After department heads from Social Services, the Sheriff's Office and Transportation described long hiring timelines and operational impacts, supervisors moved to preserve most vacant positions pending the midyear budget review. Social Services said it would return in two weeks with budget clarification for positions it asked not to be deleted.

Supervisor Madeline Klein seconded a motion to delete two specific positions from the allocation table — Deputy County Counsel (4028) and a Social Services position (3581) — with instructions to revisit staffing after the midyear budget. The motion carried unanimously.

Other votes and procedural actions during the meeting included approval of the consent calendar (minus C30) and a broad approval of several department requests under agenda item R2, after public comment from department leads and the district attorney.

What happens next: Departments approved to recruit will return with hiring items and midyear budget details; the board asked to review the position allocation table when the midyear budget is presented.