Wayne County extends temporary-clerk contracts; officials discuss barriers to hiring temps as full-time employees

Wayne County commissioners approved retroactive Amendment 3 to comparable source contracts with Capstone Employment Services and Ultimate Staffing Services (a division of Roth Staffing Companies) on Jan. 15 to continue temporary clerical staffing for the Wayne County Clerk’s Office while county procurement completes a new request for proposals.

Dwayne Seals, chief deputy clerk, told commissioners the county plans to run a competitive procurement but needs six months’ coverage because the RFP process took longer than expected. Seals said vendors’ temporary employees provide ongoing services for the Clerk’s Office and the courts and that procurement was contacted when staff recognized the RFP would not be complete by the contract expiration.

Commissioners discussed how often temporary employees convert to county jobs. Joe Slazek, a policy analyst, recalled that about 17 temporary workers had converted historically (roughly six from one vendor and 11 from the other). County staff later confirmed that seven employees who began with Capstone and 11 who began with Ultimate/Roth have been hired by the county and remain on the payroll. Seals said more candidates are currently taking the civil-service test to pursue full-time county positions.

Commissioner Clark Coleman and other commissioners pressed county staff on barriers that prevent temps from becoming permanent employees. Seals and personnel staff said two main barriers are background checks and a civil-service test; some temporary employees have performed work for two years but missed passing the civil-service test by a point or two. Commissioners suggested tutorial or test-preparation sessions. Seals said county personnel and HR are reviewing whether the test properly reflects job duties and are working on potential training.

The record also shows a retroactive payment issue: Seals said one vendor performed services after the prior agreement expired, and he cited about $10,000 in retroactive services in the case of Capstone. Commissioners approved the two amendments by tablet vote after a motion by Commissioner Alan Wilson and a second by Commissioner Alan Killeen.

County staff said the temporary-to-permanent conversion process can trigger fee schedules with the vendor (fees decrease after longer employment), which factors into hiring timelines and costs to the county when making temps permanent.