Council holds chief of staff pay increase; approves related title transfers for juvenile justice center

The Budget Administration Committee on Tuesday held for one month a proposed pay increase that would raise the Juvenile Justice Center (JJC) chief of staff’s salary, while approving a separate ordinance that updates job titles and moves existing salaries into new line items.

The committee voted to hold the ordinance that would add $26,000 to the chief of staff line — a measure Councilman Joe Tanner moved to defer “so we can get more information” — after questions about whether the role’s duties and comparability to the former executive director position were sufficiently documented. The hold passed after an initial tie among committee members and a deciding vote by the committee chair.

The hold matters because council members said they want clearer documentation about the chief of staff’s added responsibilities, how those duties differ from the former executive director’s and how the change fits into the JJC’s long-term budget. Andrea Halpin, attorney for the petitioner, said the position was renamed from executive director to chief of staff and that "there have been additional duties added to it," and she confirmed the requested $26,000 would come from the capital fund and that no retroactive payments have been made.

Separately, the committee sent favorably to the full council a related salary/title transfer (listed on the agenda as a $233,513 transfer) that moves previously approved salary amounts into new job-title line items without increasing the total payroll. James Masters, representing Judge Laura Sapia, said the transfer "is not changing the pay that has previously been approved, but it is adopting the new titles." The committee recommended that measure to the full council.

Committee members pressed for an organizational chart and clearer job descriptions. Kristen Cooper, controller for the probate/JJC offices, said the chief of staff "is overseeing more of the detention facility and social services" and is "working closely with the courts"; she added that the position has been more hands-on and is currently logging roughly 50–60 hours a week, according to the petitioner.

Council members also raised questions about prior consulting payments that supplemented the former executive director’s income. Andrea Halpin and others said the former director had a separate consulting contract with an outside provider (referred to in the record as Rites of Passage) that supplemented his compensation; Halpin said the current chief of staff is not receiving that consulting income. The committee requested staff to check the exact terms of any historical consulting agreement and its relation to county payroll records.

The committee chair and petitioner confirmed the hold is procedural and not expected to interrupt JJC operations; counsel for the JJC said the JJC can function while the council reviews the request.

Votes at the committee: the motion to hold the $26,000 increase in committee passed after a tie vote and the chair casting the deciding vote in favor of holding. The separate title-transfer ordinance was sent to the full council with a favorable recommendation.

Ending: The chief of staff pay increase will return to committee for additional documentation and discussion; the title and salary-line transfers will appear before the full council with a favorable recommendation.