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Board restores assistant CAO classification, authorizes two positions to centralize administration
Summary
Supervisors voted to restore the assistant county administrative officer classification and allocate two positions, citing consolidation of oversight and planned cost savings from shifting contracted services in‑house.
Kings County supervisors voted to restore the assistant county administrative officer classification and allocate two equivalent positions in the administration budget, a move county leaders said will centralize oversight of several county programs and reduce contract spending.
County Administrative Officer Kiri Martinez described duties expected of an assistant CAO, including oversight of indigent defense contracts, capital projects, risk management, public information functions, and interim management of departments experiencing leadership vacancies. Martinez told the board the change would offset some existing contract costs — including bringing public information work in‑house — and estimated a net annual increase of roughly $60,000 depending on salary placement; deletion of an unfilled deputy CAO position was presented as an offset.
Why it matters: Supervisors said having assistant CAOs provides continuity and centralized oversight for complex, countywide projects and services, and could yield operational efficiencies and budget savings compared with the current mix of contracts and distributed oversight.
Discussion and votes: Board members voiced support for the change as a way to improve continuity on major county projects. One supervisor called the move “long overdue” and urged removing the CAO’s offer to forgo an unrepresented management increase as a condition of the action; the board removed that condition before approving the item. The motion to restore the classification, set the salary band, allocate two positions and offset a deletion in Budget Unit 111000 passed on a roll call vote.
Costs and savings: Martinez said the monthly cost for each assistant CAO would depend on placement within the salary band and estimated $12,000 to $17,000 per month per incumbent; she said cost offsets include deleting a deputy CAO (about $200,000 annually) and folding contracted public information services back into administration (about $100,000 saved over two years). Martinez said other savings from consolidating indigent defense oversight were estimated at roughly $25,000 annually.
Ending: The board directed administration to proceed with classification and budget adjustments; Martinez said the department would manage hiring and placement under the board’s direction.
