Corrections staff and union urge action as county struggles to fill jail positions; commissioners add funded posts to budget

County human resources staff reported active recruitment but said the jail remains well below funded staffing levels, a shortfall that staff and union representatives told the commissioners is creating safety and morale problems.

Amy, a county HR staff member who gave a hiring update, said the county had filled 70 of 86 funded correction officer positions and had 57 applicants in process with 11 in late stages. “We currently have 70 correction officers of the funded 86,” Amy said. She also reported a pipeline of applicants and that the county hired about 100 new employees last year across county departments.

Union and corrections staff used the public comment period to press commissioners for faster action. William Doyle, identified as NCU executive director, said the proposed manager’s budget had again left many correction positions unfunded and charged the administration was “balancing the budget on the backs of the corrections bargaining unit.”

Giovanna Peruzzi, the unit’s labor representative, told the commission, “the situation you have on your hands is a dangerous one,” saying members were working repeated overtime shifts without adequate rest and resources. Union vice president Cody Bellier described specific staffing shortfalls during recent late shifts and said the jail was repeatedly operating below safe staffing levels.

Long‑tenured corrections staff described the effects of forced overtime and low morale. William Lawson, who said he has worked at the jail for 28 years, said staff are told they may not get requested time off: “I’ve earned the right to have 5 weeks off the year and to tell me … that you will not be allowed a summer vacation … is wrong,” he said. Robert Rider, a 34‑year corrections professional, said many recruits “had no idea they were gonna be doing this kind of stuff” and urged more honest hiring communications.

HR said recruiting work is ongoing and named JazzHR and JobTarget job boards, refreshed advertising and radio ads as part of outreach. Amy said recent hiring shows improvement: she described 57 applicants in process and several new applicants after a recent holiday. She also summarized exit interviews and top reasons for separations: workload and work‑life balance, inadequate training and mentoring, work environment and culture, communications, and career advancement opportunities.

Commissioners addressed staffing in the budget. During the meeting the manager’s proposed budget was adopted with $74,491,013 in total appropriations for the 2025–26 year, and commissioners approved adding nine correction officers and two sergeants to the funded staffing plan for the next budget year. The commissioners also approved a separate motion authorizing the jail budget to exceed the state’s 4 percent growth limitation for that function; the vote to allow the jail budget to exceed the 4 percent cap was recorded as unanimous.

Speakers at the meeting warned of safety risks if staffing does not improve. Giovanna Peruzzi urged commissioners not to “wait for a tragedy to occur.” Several commissioners and staff acknowledged the difficulty of prolonged turnover and noted the county’s recruitment efforts and pending collective bargaining sessions.

The county manager and human resources staff said additional steps are planned, including continued recruitment, a review of training and retention tactics, and contract negotiations now underway with multiple bargaining units.