Supervisors consider reduction in county office hours, exemption from hiring freeze – Times-Standard

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors could reduce hours at county offices and approve an exemption from a hiring freeze Tuesday. (Times-Standard file photo)

On Tuesday, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors could approve an exemption from the county’s hiring freeze for the sheriff’s office and reduce hours of public offices throughout the county.

All of the items on Tuesday’s meeting agenda are on the consent calendar, meaning the council could approve everything without discussion, but previous exemptions to the hiring freeze were often pulled for review. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office wants to hire a senior legal assistant to replace one who just resigned, meaning the position was already budgeted for and won’t impact the general fund.

“Due to the complexity of the Civil Services, the Senior LOA is expected to be the subject matter expert and primary staff member for all civil administrative operations under the direction of the Records/Civil Division Manager. The Senior LOA provides support and direction to other Records Division staff members who provide backup support to the Civil Services. The staff member in this position recently resigned, making it essential that a replacement be recruited as soon as possible,” the staff report states.

The county’s rapidly depleting general fund is expected to be completely depleted by the end of the 2025-26 fiscal year, and the council has recently taken several steps to heal the budget wounds, such as extending a hiring freeze and the voluntary separation incentive program. The county’s biggest costs come from personnel.

Also on the consent calendar is one of the county’s cost-saving measures: reducing the hours of public offices of several departments by reducing the hours available during which members of the public can come in and ask questions from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday and eliminating Fridays.

“Friday closures reflect only the hours that public offices are open, not the hours that staff work. Staff will continue to work on Fridays, focusing on non-public-facing tasks. Departments will continue to provide public services during the hours they are closed to the public via telephone and email, as needed,” the staff report states.

You can reach Jackson Guilfoil at 707-441-0506