Public affairs asks for dedicated ADA compliance specialist to meet federal accessibility deadline

Wayne Larson, director of public affairs, told commissioners his office has expanded digital content and broadcasting but is challenged by an unfunded federal Title II ADA requirement to make county web content and digital tools accessible. He said staff have already reviewed many items but face a large backlog of legacy PDFs and third‑party applications that require remediation.

Larson proposed one entry‑level digital compliance specialist FTE to coordinate department efforts and to reduce the need for a consultant line (he estimated the consultant line at $50,000 could drop to $25,000 if the FTE is funded). He said the compliance workload is ongoing — not purely temporary — because web content and vendor platforms continually generate accessibility needs.

Commissioners discussed temporary versus permanent staffing approaches and noted the federal deadline extension to April 2027 reflects widespread resource constraints in local government. Staff said they could pilot a temporary hire but recommended a permanent FTE given the perpetual nature of digital content management.

The budget request will be integrated into recommended FY27 staffing and operating plans for further review.