HR reports high vacancies, introduces training coordinator; county reviews Whole Health federal funding cuts

Tompkins County’s human resources staff briefed the Budget, Capital and Personnel Committee on staffing, recruitment and training at the April 10 meeting and flagged potential funding uncertainty for Whole Health program positions.

HR numbers and recruitment

Larry (HR staffing lead) reported 815 county staff, 326 election workers and 50 JTPAs. He said 101 positions were posted on the county vacancy page in March — the largest number he had seen — with 70 of those posted by municipalities. HR processed 596 applications in March and administered multiple civil service exams. Recruitment activity includes targeted outreach (e.g., Cortland State job fair) and continued work on hard‑to‑fill licensed roles such as RNs and licensed clinicians.

Training coordinator introduced

Samantha Allmendinger introduced herself as the county’s new training and development coordinator, describing plans to conduct a needs assessment with the county engagement team and meet department heads to develop a coordinated training program. "My first steps are to work with the county engagement team to complete a needs assessment," Allmendinger said.

Whole Health funding uncertainty

Committee members asked about recent federal cuts and whether that affects Whole Health‑supported positions. Ruby and County Administrator Corsa reported ongoing conversations: some positions originally placed with contractors were moved back onto county payroll (two positions at Whole Health are county employees), while other contractor positions remain state‑employed and co‑located at the county. Corsa said he has spoken with program leadership and that the program is under review; at the time of the meeting staff described the program as “fully cut as it is now” at the federal level and said local determinations about continuing work and available payroll funds were pending. "We are evaluating the program ... and we'll make determination if other staff can continue the project or if there will be funding within [payroll] to maybe cover [staff]," Corsa said.

Why it matters: the HR briefing shows a high volume of recruitment needs across county government and emphasizes training as a county priority. The Whole Health funding conversation flagged potential service and staffing changes pending state and federal decisions.

Next steps: HR will continue recruitment, report back on the needs assessment and training plan, and County Administration will inform the committee of any further decisions about Whole Health staffing based on state and federal funding updates.