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Veterans office hires Hugo Santiago; committee members press for public disclosure of interview panel
Summary
Richland County’s Veterans Service Office reported a new hire and a modest state grant increase; several veterans committee members pressed staff for details about the interview panel and asked that the hiring process be placed on the next agenda.
The Richland County Veterans Service Office reported the hiring of a new benefit specialist, Hugo Santiago, and an annual state grant increase to $9,350. Committee members welcomed the new hire but pressed staff for details about the interview panel and whether veterans-commission members were invited to participate.
Karen (Veterans Service Officer) summarized the office’s monthly expenditures and said the $9,350 state grant and general-fund support fund a compact, low-cost office. She said a software/antivirus payment and newspaper advertising were the only unexpected expenditures in the reporting period.
The committee heard that Hugo Santiago is a U.S. Army retiree with 23 years of service and prior experience with JAG Corps work at Fort McCoy; staff said a five-person panel unanimously recommended him. Several committee members, including Don Seep (Veteran Services representative), asked who sat on the interview panel and whether members appointed by the County Board to the veterans commission were invited to participate. The committee chair declined to discuss panel membership without checking with corporation counsel and the county attorney, and committee members agreed to revisit the hiring-process question at the next meeting.
Action taken: committee members asked to place the hiring-process review and a Veterans Service Office budget update on the next meeting agenda. The request was accepted for follow-up and is scheduled for the next committee meeting.
Why it matters: the hiring-process exchange reflects committee interest in transparency and in ensuring veteran representatives are included in recruitment for veteran services. The office’s modest budget and the new hire’s experience were reported as assets for continuing service delivery.
Ending: the committee will receive a veterans office budget update and a hiring-process overview at the next meeting; staff said they would consult corporation counsel before disclosing panel membership publicly.
