Putnam County legislators debate vacancy factor as county reports 53 job vacancies

Putnam County finance staff told the Audit and Administration Committee on May 22 that the county currently shows 53 vacant positions and that vacancy savings materially inflate fund balance figures.

Paul Eldridge, personnel officer, and Commissioner of Finance Mike explained the committee's agenda item proposing a $300,000 budgetary vacancy factor (line 25A038). "Right now we have 53 vacancies," Commissioner Mike said, and using a conservative estimate of $100,000–$150,000 per position (salary plus fringes) could represent millions in annual savings returned to fund balance if positions are not filled.

Committee members and staff described how the vacancy factor works: budgeted positions remain in the lines but unfilled roles create temporary savings that can be recognized and used to balance the budget. "If you had a budget of, let's just say, a $100,000,000…and you had those 50 vacancies…that’s $5 to $6.7 million that you're putting back into the fund balance," Commissioner Mike said.

Legislators expressed concern about service impacts, overtime, and recruitment. Legislator Montgomery and others noted that vacancies push more work onto remaining employees and increase overtime, particularly in the Health Department and Sheriff's Office. Committee members discussed recruitment challenges tied to salary and benefit levels; officials said some candidates withdraw once they see the county health insurance contribution and net pay.

Officials said the $300,000 figure represents vacancy recognition through April 30 and would annualize to roughly $900,000 for the year, but broader vacancy savings could be significantly larger. "With 53 vacancies at an average of a 125,000, you're about $6,700,000," Commissioner Mike said. The personnel office said the vacancy factor allows the county to keep positions in the budget while recognizing realized savings for the fiscal year-to-date.

The committee approved budgetary amendment 25A038 (vacancy factor) in a voice vote during the meeting. Legislators directed staff to continue work on recruitment, to expedite planned reviews of management salaries and health insurance design, and to report back with analyses on overtime versus hiring costs.

Committee members said they will convene additional work through the health insurance and personnel committees to evaluate benefits, recruitment barriers and potential longer-term adjustments to reduce vacancy-driven service strains.