County manager flags budget items for review; commissioners approve staff reclassifications and delay larger pay and staffing decisions

County Manager Sabina Genesio presented several budget follow-up items for commissioners’ consideration on Jan. 7, identifying a small set of requests not included in the 2025 base and asking for direction on timing.

Genesio described three categories of items: reclassifications (primarily two office positions in Fleet and an alignment in CSU Extension), compression pay adjustments tied to planned salary increases for heavy equipment mechanics, and an FTE request from the Department of Workplace Policy and Compliance tied to rising caseloads and Workday-related changes. She recommended analyzing compression impacts after the April COLA and suggested the board could revisit larger items six months into the year.

Commissioners agreed the two office-staff reclassifications—intended to align Fleet administrative positions with comparable public works classifications—were actionable and should move forward because they represent a smaller, immediate cost. One commissioner said the reclassifications should likely proceed "sooner than later." For the compression pay adjustments and the new FTE, commissioners generally favored a wait-and-see approach, asking staff to return with actuals and workload data about six months into the fiscal year before deciding.

Genesio said the board could revisit the larger requests after actual salary changes and Workday implementation data were available. No final appropriation votes were recorded in the work session; instead, commissioners gave direction to include the reclassifications in budget planning and to report back on compression and FTE needs.