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Pennington County approves two temporary over-hires for treasurerto ease title-processing backlog
Summary
After weeks of debate about budget growth and state software problems, the commission approved two over-hires for the treasurer's office to address title processing delays while the department and commissioners review longer-term staffing and budget implications.
Pennington County commissioners voted 4-1 on July 1 to allow two temporary over-hires in the county treasurerto help address long wait times and a backlog of title work tied in part to recent state software changes.
Lede facts: Pennington County Treasurer Annette Brant asked for three additional full-time equivalents (FTEs); commissioners approved two immediate over-hires for 2025 that do not increase the countys 2025 payroll budget, and left the larger FTE request to the 2026 budget process.
Why it matters: The treasurer's office collects taxes and processes title and registration work; long waits were a recurring complaint in public comment. Commissioners debated trade-offs between quickly increasing staffing to reduce service delays and fiscal discipline given recent personnel growth in several departments.
What happened: Brant told commissioners she needed trained staff for tax and title work and said it takes three to six months to bring hires to full productivity. She estimated the 2026 cost of adding two permanent FTEs would be about $133,103 (with benefits); three FTEs would add more. Commissioners expressed concern about mid-year budget supplements and said they preferred to rank all staffing requests in the 2026 budget process.
Several commissioners nonetheless supported a short-term remedy. Commissioner Drews moved to allow two immediate over-hires; the substitute motion to approve two over-hires passed on a roll call vote (4— 1). Commissioners emphasized the approval carried a condition that no 2025 budget supplement would be requested for the hires and that the 2026 budget would consider permanent staffing requests.
Discussion highlights: Commissioner Rosknecht, who supported the over-hires, said the treasurers office provides critical public services and noted long customer wait times for title work. Commissioner Durr urged caution, noting overall county personnel and budget growth and saying policy on over-hires should be clarified. Commissioner Weifenbach and others said they favored allowing temporary over-hires while planning a department audit and broader budget review before adding permanent FTEs.
Next steps: The treasurer may hire two additional employees immediately under over-hire authority; the county clerk and HR director will coordinate the hiring process to ensure it complies with personnel policy. Commissioners asked staff to include the treasurers permanent FTE request in the 2026 budget review and to assess impacts of any subsequent staffing requests across departments.
