County reclassifies public defender secretaries; raises, parity concerns follow

The Committee of the Whole approved a job reclassification that moves three legal secretary positions in the public defender’s office to the administrative legal secretary grade. Board discussion focused on the personnel merits of updating long-outdated job descriptions and on fiscal and equity effects across county offices.

The public defender and supporters said the current job description — in some cases more than two decades old — does not reflect modern duties such as processing digital evidence, managing electronic files and daily high-volume communications. Supporters argued the reclassification recognizes work already performed and helps with retention and hiring.

Opponents and several board members urged a more comprehensive review before approving the change, citing ripple effects across bargaining units and other departments. Officials and staff noted the AFSCME collective bargaining agreement requires a 10% increase on reclassification — a mandatory contractual adjustment the board cannot waive — and provided rough fiscal estimates during debate: one board member calculated the direct cost for the three positions at about $13,688.50 annually (plus benefits) and suggested parity adjustments in other offices could push total recurring cost to the range discussed in committee (~$62,000).

After discussion and a roll-call vote, the reclassification passed. Board members asked that personnel impacts and budget adjustments be handled through the usual budget process so that other departments with similar job families can be evaluated for parity.

Ending: Staff will implement the reclassification as approved and provide budgetary details for FY26 as part of the county’s budget process.