Commissioners exempt Weed Board from hiring freeze and authorize two sheriff deputy hires

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners approved two separate personnel actions on July 23: an exemption for the Noxious Weed Control Board to hire seasonal staff despite the countywide hiring freeze, and authorization to fill two sheriff deputy vacancies in the interest of public safety.

Administrator Danzel recommended exempting the Weed Board from the hiring freeze because the Weed Board is funded by a separate property‑tax assessment rather than the county’s current expense fund; commissioners approved the exemption after a motion and second. “They are funded out of an assessment on people's property taxes. They are not funded out of the current expense fund,” Danzel said in explaining the recommendation.

On the sheriff’s request, the board approved the immediate hiring of deputy positions while pausing on a separate administrative FTE request that staff and the sheriff’s office are still reconciling. Danzel said the sheriff needs deputy hires for public safety and that the county should avoid hamstringing patrol staffing; the board approved hiring two deputies and asked administration to resolve discrepancies in the count of full‑time employees tied to warrants and corrections before authorizing further hires.

Public commenters emphasized operational impacts. A sheriff’s office support specialist told the board that warrants must be entered into national and state systems within 72 hours and that the extra warrant work has shifted into other staff duties; the specialist said the current arrangement is stressing disclosures and public‑records workflows. Fire District 5 Chief Brian Thornhill also addressed the board during public comment, saying he had sought dialog about an operational dispute involving the district and that he wanted a meeting with county counsel and the district’s board to resolve outstanding issues.

What’s next: the Weed Board may proceed with hiring within its budget and assessment authority; the sheriff will move forward with two deputy hires and county administration will report back to commissioners with clarification on the relevant FTE accounting and any budget implications before additional hires occur.