Council committee questions hiring process and use of emergency hiring authority as personnel leaders outline RFPs to modernize county HR

Sept. 25, 2025 — Council members pressed the Department of Personnel Services on Sept. 25 about slow hiring, minimum‑qualification screening and whether the county should use Governor Josh Green's emergency hiring proclamation to fill housing vacancies. Deputy director Kainia Aiwohe Alo told the committee the department plans two requests for proposals to modernize hiring and administrative rules but said it prefers to use an existing state statutory exemption for certain housing positions rather than the governor's emergency proclamation.

Michelle McLean, executive assistant to Council Chair Alice Lee and a former planning director, told the committee that the county's current civil‑service procedures often prevent departments from seeing or weighing all applicants. "When a department wants to fill a position, they submit a request to DPS who recruits, screens applicants for minimum qualifications or MQs, and then they provide the department with a list of eligible applicants," McLean said. She described cases in which on‑paper minimums excluded candidates with relevant experience and urged more department involvement in screening.

Deputy director Kainia Aiwohe Alo said the department met with Corporation Counsel and the state's human resources director and concluded that positions in the county's housing and community development division are better handled under the statutory exemption in HRS (referred to in committee as "76‑77‑14") than under the governor's emergency proclamation. The deputy's rationale, she said, is that the statutory exemption creates a permanent exempt status for those positions; by contrast, appointments made under the emergency proclamation could be converted back to civil service if the proclamation ends, which may complicate compensation and employment status.

Housing Director Mitchell appeared by arrangement and said he had requested the county use the emergency proclamation to expedite hires for the housing community development division after months of empty slots. "I still have the position that we should use every tool we have to fill the positions — we are in an emergency. Period," he told the committee, noting he had pursued the EP after conventional recruitment produced losses of qualified candidates.

Committee members pressed for specifics. The committee learned that the housing division currently has seven vacancies, including three secretary positions the department plans to fill via civil‑service recruitment. One position — a newly created development project coordinator — was reclassified from a planner role and the department has requested it be exempted under the statutory authority.

Deputy director Aiwohe Alo told the panel the department will issue two RFPs before year‑end: one, with the Department of Management, to review countywide HR systems and functions; and a second, with Corporation Counsel, to review and modernize Department of Personnel Services administrative rules and county policies tied to those rules.

Council members and witnesses raised several recurring concerns: that minimum qualifications (MQs) can be outdated and exclude capable candidates; that departments receive only DPS‑ranked candidate lists and would like more ability to review full applicant pools; and that retaining staff is made harder because managers cannot adjust pay or easily reallocate duties within civil‑service constraints.

Deputy Corporation Counsel Christy Trenholm said the legal default is that county positions are civil service unless an HRS exemption applies or an emergency proclamation provides different authority. She agreed to meet with department and housing leadership to clarify whether the emergency proclamation pathway and statutory exemptions could be used together to fill vacancies quickly while limiting future conversion risk.

The committee did not take a final action on personnel policy changes; the item was deferred for follow‑up. Committee members requested written material on the DPS hiring flow, state laws and departmental rules, and said they expect to be briefed as RFPs proceed.

Why it matters: County operations and capital programs depend on hiring and retaining staff. Council members said slow hiring is affecting permitting, housing projects and other services; department leaders acknowledged nationwide recruiting challenges but said they are reviewing procedures and seeking external guidance.

What happened next: The committee deferred further action and asked DPS to provide a detailed process map and documentation of the legal authorities being used; members asked for periodic updates as the RFPs are issued and procured.