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PAC forwards public defender job classification recommendations to County Council
Summary
Monroe County’s Personnel Administration Committee voted unanimously to forward recommended job classification changes for the public defender’s office to the full County Council, and discussed parity for the executive assistant role, funding for system navigators and the county’s application to a misdemeanor study pilot.
The Monroe County Personnel Administration Committee voted unanimously to forward classification recommendations for positions in the public defender’s office to the County Council.
Council Member Kate Wilts moved that PAC accept the recommended list of classifications for the public defender office; the motion was seconded and passed by roll call. The committee’s summary will go to the full council and staff said they will work with the council office to schedule the item for an upcoming council meeting.
Michael Hunt, the chief public defender, and representatives from the office described staffing and classification concerns. Hunt noted the office had a recent retirement in a senior investigator position and that the department had not yet filled that vacancy. He said the office reorganized “system navigators,” moving those grant-funded positions into county general fund where the current salaries would be grandfathered while the employees remain in the roles. Hunt also said Monroe County has applied to be a pilot site for a misdemeanor study and is “in the running” but had not received a decision.
Committee members pressed for parity for the public defender executive assistant position relative to the prosecutor’s executive assistant. In discussion, one member said the commission views the public defender’s executive assistant “in parity with the prosecutor’s,” while staff noted the WIS classification process returned a lower classification for that position and that WIS often declines to disclose detailed criteria used in its evaluations. Committee members discussed options including bringing the matter back during budget season or returning within a 12‑month window if reclassification criteria change.
Fiscal impacts discussed were described as “practically nothing” for the current recommended changes; committee staff displayed a fiscal-impact slide showing limited county cost and noted the system navigator positions would be 50% reimbursed under current grant arrangements.
The committee voted to forward the package to the County Council with a positive recommendation on the proposed classifications for the public defender positions.
