Commissioners approve grant‑funded start salary for court case manager after debate on grade

Franklin County commissioners voted to approve resolution 2025‑069 Monday night, setting the starting salary for a newly hired case manager at Grade 15, Step 5. The position, presented to the board by Trinity Orozco, is for a court case manager role tied to therapeutic court operations and — according to Orozco — is fully covered by grant funds.

"This is fully grant funded. It doesn't impact the county," Trinity Orozco said during the discussion, describing the candidate's experience with mental health services and a caseload history that includes nearly 800 cases in a prior role. Orozco said the candidate had requested a salary at or near their current pay and that the office had considered asking for a higher grade but chose the 15‑5 start so the hire could be secured quickly.

Nut graf: Commissioners approved the hire to avoid losing an experienced candidate and to keep program services operating; they and staff discussed reclassifying the position to a higher grade later after completing a job‑description review and matrix changes.

Discussion and process details: Orozco told the board the court program provides more services than comparable jurisdictions and that the case manager role will carry a heavier workload (described as a maximum caseload of 35 for Franklin County versus much larger caseloads the candidate had handled elsewhere). Commissioners asked whether starting at Grade 16 would be preferable to give the new hire more long‑term growth; staff advised that regrading requires a job description revision, HR review and a subsequent resolution to amend the salary matrix. County administrator Eric Johnson and staff said hiring at 15‑5 was the faster route to fill an urgent vacancy while preserving the option to seek reclassification later.

Funding: Orozco repeatedly said the position is "fully grant funded" and noted a "use it or lose it" element in current grant spending, where unspent grant funds can be reallocated by the grantor. She also said if grant funding became unavailable, the county could seek mental‑health sales tax funds to cover the position.

Formal action: Commissioner Baumann moved to approve resolution 2025‑069; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote with all commissioners saying "Aye." The resolution authorizes the starting salary at Grade 15, Step 5 as presented and was entered into the record as approved.

Ending: Staff said they will monitor grant spending and return to the board if a formal reclassification is undertaken or if funding changes. Orozco and commissioners emphasized the priority of filling the vacant position promptly to avoid service interruptions for therapeutic court participants.