Board approves package of strategic hires across county departments amid budget concerns

On March 10 the Board approved a package of strategic hiring requests from multiple county departments aimed at filling critical, budgeted positions across the county.

Public Defender Mick Hill requested two additional attorney positions to restore capacity after recent departures; he said one candidate will begin in April but the office remains short roughly five attorneys. Assessor Katrina Bartolome requested extra‑help seasonal election workers and replacement hires for a recording technician and a real property appraiser; Bartolome said the positions are budgeted and necessary for election and recording work.

Auditor/Controller/Treasurer Chamise Cubbison asked to refill an Accounts Specialist Supervisor and to fill vacancies in the Treasurer/Tax Collector’s office, including an Investment Operations Analyst position that had been held vacant; she stressed the difficulty of replacing experienced staff and the workload implications. The District Attorney’s administrative manager Carmen Macias asked to fill a Staff Assistant I and a Legal Secretary I to handle incoming evidence, case intake and public service functions.

Human Resources Director Sherry Johnson and the Executive Office also presented a request to recruit a Principal Administrative Analyst within an already budgeted slot to preserve fiscal and emergency‑operations capacity. Board members acknowledged the need but repeatedly raised concerns about meeting the county’s 6% attrition requirement and longer‑term budget impacts; supervisors emphasized prioritizing the most critical positions.

The board moved and approved the set of recommended actions; votes were recorded by button and the motion carried unanimously. Departments were asked to document budget projections and timelines and return as needed with additional budget detail if vacancy timelines or attrition assumptions change.

Next steps: departments will proceed with recruitment and return with status updates; Human Resources will monitor attrition savings and budget impacts.