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Christian County recognizes employees and reviews HR fourth‑quarter report
Summary
The commission honored Erin Burton as employee of the fourth quarter and named four employees of the year; staff also presented the human resources Q4 report including open‑enrollment, turnover and applicant‑tracking issues.
The Christian County Commission on Jan. 9 honored county employees and reviewed the human resources fourth‑quarter report, which highlighted lower turnover in 2024, recent open‑enrollment results and technical problems with a new applicant tracking system.
Employee Services Director Bryant presented the employee awards. The employee of the fourth quarter was named as Erin Burton, recognized for organizing extra election support after an unexpectedly high turnout that required an additional polling location in Nixa. "Her hard work and commitment was vital to the success of the election," Director Bryant said as the award was presented.
The commission also named a team as the 2024 employees of the year: Colleen Loss, Nancy Burton, Sandy Liles and Amy York. Officials said those staff members carried a large portion of the administrative workload after Christian County implemented a senior tax‑freeze program created by Senate Bill 190, which required substantial processing and outreach.
In the Q4 HR report, staff said the county had roughly 252–254 employees at the time the report was printed and that 2024 marked the lowest turnover during the director’s six years of service, falling below 20 percent for the first time. The quarter included 14 new hires, 20 separations (including 12 resignations, five terminations and three retiring elected officials) and approximately 329 job applications submitted to the county during the quarter.
HR reported full compliance with 2024 open‑enrollment and said negotiations had reduced an initial projected insurance increase from 13 percent to 4 percent; the county now offers six insurance options to employees. Staff also described problems after migrating from a prior applicant tracking product (Civic HR) to a vendor product (Criterion) and said several automated notices did not send as expected, requiring manual follow‑up.
Commissioners praised HR for lower turnover and acknowledged ongoing work to complete a temporary‑use license for grounds and follow up on mediations and workers’‑comp claims. Director Bryant said she will present a legal update in closed session in February for items that could change before then.
