Inyo County Human Resources delivered the county’s mandated AB 2561 public hearing on Sept. 23, reporting a countywide vacancy rate of 11.6 as of Aug. 27, 2025 and outlining steps to improve recruitment and retention.

Carrie, the county’s Human Resources Director, told the board: “This legislation, mandates that the county hold a public hearing at least once per fiscal year before the adoption of the fiscal year budget.” She summarized the law’s requirements and said the county currently has 498 budgeted positions and 440 employees, representing 58 vacancies.

Key data and findings: The largest bargaining unit, the Inyo County Employees Association (ICEA), has 35 vacancies (11.2%); the Inyo County Correctional Officer Association has 3 vacancies (13.6%); Inyo County Deputy Sheriffs Association has 3 vacancies (8.6%); Probation Peace Officers Association has 2 vacancies (15.4%); management positions show 3 vacancies (10.7%); several appointed and elected officials’ positions were fully staffed. For part‑time nonbenefited APAR positions ICEA showed a 72.7% vacancy rate (8 of 11 positions vacant), a classification HR identified as highly transient by design.

Carrie reviewed recruitment and retention efforts already underway: the county implemented NEOGOV in 2022 for on‑line applications and audit trails; it completed a classification and compensation study to modernize salary structures; it negotiated benefits improvements with bargaining units including wellness and no‑cost health plan options; and it offers extensive premium pay and other incentives for retention. Carrie said the county is piloting leadership training and will roll out a supervisor skills academy and a new performance evaluation tool.

Discussion and directions: Supervisors asked for more communication about time‑to‑hire and for better candidate outreach; they encouraged use of exit interviews and tracking true costs of recruitment and training. Carrie acknowledged that some recruitments (notably deputy sheriffs and correctional officers) take six to ten months because of multi‑step processes and testing requirements and said clearer upfront timelines and automated applicant notifications (including text messages via NEOGOV) could reduce candidate attrition.

Ending: The hearing concluded with board members and members of the public suggesting additional avenues — internships, commuter solutions, and partner outreach with Cerro Coso Community College — to grow the local candidate pool. HR committed to continue implementing onboarding improvements, supervisor training, commuter work group efforts, and to return with further tracking data and implementation plans.