The Pennington County Commission approved a part‑time, grant‑funded HR recruiter/social‑media specialist on Oct. 7 to assist the Sheriff’s Office during an anticipated eight‑month military leave of the office’s HR generalist.

Sheriff Brian Mueller and senior HR manager Sandy Sortland told commissioners the position would be advertised as part‑time and non‑benefited at $24 an hour, funded entirely from a community policing microgrant. The sheriff’s office said the temporary hire would focus primarily on processing new applicants and supporting recruitment work; media tasks would be secondary and coordinated with county HR’s existing communications staff.

Why it matters: The county faces ongoing recruitment and retention challenges for public‑safety positions. The sheriff told the board the temporary hire would help keep the applicant queue moving and reduce overtime pressure caused by vacancies.

Board discussion: Some commissioners said they prefer to centralize HR and recruitment in the county HR office over time, but they supported the temporary hire to address the immediate workload during the HR generalist’s military deployment. Commissioner Hadcock said she liked that the job is non‑benefited and temporary; other commissioners asked for coordination with county HR to avoid duplicated outreach spending.

Vote: The board approved the position with a motion to hire at $24/hour; the vote carried (4–1). The sheriff and HR said they will advertise and aim to have the temporary hire begin in January if approved.