Board approves staffing changes across CMH, health and HR; several moves cost-neutral to general fund

The Lapeer County Board of Commissioners approved a set of personnel actions intended to align staffing with service needs across Community Mental Health (CMH), the health department, and human resources. The board amended CMH’s table of organization to eliminate one full-time general clerk (position 559, pay grade 13) and add one full-time medical assistant position (to be determined at pay grade 14). CMH leaders described the change as intended to support prescribers and improve clinic efficiency; the board recorded that the change will be funded from CMH’s budget and will not increase the county general fund. The board also approved creation of a full-time soil erosion inspector in the health department (pay grade 16). The single position will share duties between environmental health and the drain commissioner’s office; commissioners and staff said the role will replace previously contracted work, produce cost savings, and avoid the state’s alternative of subcontracting at additional expense. Commissioners asked staff to formalize cost-allocation and fee schedules between the health department and the drain commissioner. Separately the board reclassified an HR assistant to an HR professional (move to pay grade 17) and authorized filling the HR assistant/payroll specialist vacancy (position 475, pay grade 16) created by an internal promotion. Commissioners and the administrator described continued work on implementation of Paycom, multiple upcoming union contract negotiations—11 separate bargaining units—and the need for additional HR bandwidth during the next 12 months. The board added a 12‑month review requirement for the reclassification and agreed to revisit staffing if workload and technology returns reduced demand. All personnel changes were approved as presented. Departments said the CMH and health department changes will be paid from within their existing budgets and that the HR hires and reclassification will be handled via a budget amendment prepared by finance; the board was told the measures are not expected to add cost to the county general fund.