Orange County panel confirms aging director, approves staffing changes and pay adjustments

The Orange County Personnel and Compensation Committee on Jan. 23 confirmed Danielle Diana Smith as director of the Office for the Aging, approved several personnel reclassifications and new positions across county departments, and adopted two local-law salary changes for elected and advisory posts.

The confirmation was made at the start of the meeting after County Executive Steve Newhouse submitted Smith’s nomination; the appointment is set to begin Feb. 1, 2025. Committee members voted in favor of the confirmation. Anne Marie Maglione, the outgoing director of the Office for the Aging, thanked the committee and said, "it's been a real pleasure working with all of you." The committee acknowledged Maglione’s years of service.

Why it matters: the actions reallocate staff and pay within core county services — aging services, public safety, the clerk’s office, youth services and public works — and include local-law changes that alter compensation for county officers and an advisory committee chair.

Key actions and votes

- Appointment: Danielle Diana Smith was confirmed as director, Orange County Office for the Aging, effective Feb. 1, 2025. (Legislative request no. 023.) The committee voted to confirm the appointment.

- Office for the Aging staffing: The committee approved creating a full-time case manager (grade 14) by reassigning the current permanent holder into the new position and defunding the part-time case manager role (legislative request no. 013). The director's office told the panel that increased state reporting and growing caseloads make a full-time position necessary and that the state will cover roughly 75% of the position’s cost.

- Sheriff’s Office: Two new sheriff positions that were included in the adopted 2025 budget were approved (legislative request no. 024). Sheriff Paul Orqueta thanked the committee for supporting the additions, which he said will help provide policing services to residents.

- County Clerk finance position: The committee approved creation of a fiscal technician position in the County Clerk’s Office to handle expanded financial responsibilities (legislative request no. 021). County Clerk Kelly Espoo told the committee the office "receive[s] and disperse[s] approximately $56,000,000 annually" and that the proposed position currently performs work equivalent to higher-grade responsibilities, including reconciling nine bank accounts and preparing multiple periodic reports.

- Public Works reclassification: The committee voted to abolish one vacant secretary (grade 6) and create one principal clerk (grade 7) position in Public Works (legislative request no. 015). The department said the change is intended to improve retention for a front-desk role that handles permits, payments and public inquiries; the department indicated the grade 7 starting salary is roughly $50,000.

- Youth Bureau position: The committee approved abolishing a vacant senior secretary (grade 7) and creating a senior counselor (grade 7, part time) for the Youth Bureau (legislative request no. 322). Director Rachel Wilson said program contracting and fiscal claims have more than doubled since 2013 and that the new position will be funded about 40% by the county and 60% by state funds.

- Accounting position: A budgeted associate account clerk (grade 9) position was approved for 2025 (legislative request no. 018). The committee was told the grade 9 position is the budgeted fill for an earlier, higher-grade account clerk slot.

- Local-law changes to compensation: The committee approved an amendment to Local Law No. 8 of 2020 to change the county clerk’s compensation schedule, to take effect for the term commencing Jan. 1, 2026, pursuant to the Orange County Charter, sec. 2.02(gs). Chairman Kevin Hines said the schedule was designed to move the county clerk’s pay toward parity with comparable counties and that the salary would increase roughly 4% a year over the proposed term; the committee approved the amendment as presented.

The committee also adopted a local law setting compensation for the chair of Orange County Sewer District No. 1’s advisory committee and made that pay change effective immediately and through the term beginning Jan. 1, 2026 (pursuant to sec. 2.02(s) of the Orange County Charter). Committee members said the sewer advisory committee is expected to meet frequently during design and grant work leading up to May and may require additional special sessions.

- Legislative staff position: The committee approved creating a legislative aide position allocated at CSEA grade 13 (legislative request no. 034). The panel was briefed that Doreen will move into the legislative aide role previously held by another staffer and that the prior legislative secretary slot will remain unfunded as an option for future legislatures.

Process and context

Most items on the agenda were approved with brief presentations from department heads and unanimous voice votes. Presenters repeatedly framed the staffing changes as responses to expanded workloads, new reporting requirements, or previously budgeted positions that now require formal authorization. Several motions were presented as budget-neutral or funded within the 2025 operating budget; where departments said a position was unfunded and could be funded from other lines, the committee noted that managers could move existing funds as allowed.

The meeting closed after committee members completed the listed personnel and pay items and moved to adjourn.