Kootenai County HR panel approves reprographics restructure, temporary higher-duty pay and two classification changes

Kootenai County commissioners on Aug. 7 approved a reorganization of the county’s reprographics operation, temporary higher-duty pay for two district court clerk positions while an employee is on family medical leave, and two classification actions for communications staff following an executive session.

The reprographics change approved Tuesday moves the county’s reprographics function into the Buildings and Grounds department; freezes the current manager position and one graphic production specialist, implements an existing assistant manager job description, and creates a part-time mail handler/custodial-support position. Jeff Vohler, director of Buildings and Grounds, told commissioners the plan would allow cross-training and closer operational support and “overall, this would be a cost savings of $52,000 to the county.” The restructure is set to take effect at the start of the fiscal year, Oct. 1, 2025.

Why it matters: county staff said reprographics work has declined from earlier levels and combining the unit with Buildings and Grounds provides operational backup and day-shift custodial coverage while holding total staffed positions at three (assistant manager, one production specialist and the new part-time mail/custodial role). The board voted unanimously to approve the restructure.

During the meeting the board also approved a higher-duty pay request for the district court clerk/judicial division. Jennifer Locke, district court clerk, said a manager-level employee is out on FMLA through Oct. 3 and returning Oct. 6; the county proposed temporary higher-duty pay for a float supervisor to fill the manager duties and for the float lead to move into the supervisor role. The HR representative said the two employees would remain in their current grade and receive a pay increase of a little more than 5%; the pay will be retroactive and will revert when the absent employee returns. The board approved that request.

Items involving staff classifications (items 5–7 on the agenda) were discussed in executive session under Idaho Code 74-206(1)(b). After returning to open session, the board took several actions: it authorized staff to proceed on item 5 as discussed in executive session; it approved an edited initial classification for a communications technician (item 6); and it approved reclassifying a communications coordinator to a communications and project manager (item 7). One commissioner voted against the communications technician classification and one commissioner voted against the communications and project manager reclassification; the motions carried.

Commissioners and staff emphasized several implementation details during discussion. Vohler said larger print jobs are “no longer necessary in the county,” a justification for shifting reprographics; HR staff indicated the assistant-manager job description was written previously but not implemented and will be formally adopted at the next HR meeting, including grade assignment. Jennifer Locke provided the FMLA dates for the district court staffing change and the HR staff confirmed the higher-duty payments will be retroactive once conditions in policy 120 are met.

The meeting included brief procedural exchanges about agenda changes and a motion to enter executive session; the board cited Idaho Code 74-206(1)(b) when moving into executive session. The meeting adjourned at about 10:50 a.m.

Next steps: the assistant-manager job description and grade will return to HR for formal adoption, the mail-handler/custodial-support job description must be approved in writing by HR before implementation, and the district court higher-duty payments will be processed retroactively and will end upon the returning employee’s reinstatement.