Sullivan County HR committee approves reclassification creating crime victim specialist coordinator in DA's office

SULLIVAN COUNTY, N.Y. — The Sullivan County Human Resources Committee on Oct. 25 approved a resolution to abolish one crime victims services advocate position and create one crime victim specialist coordinator position in the Sullivan County District Attorney's Office, voting 5-0.

The new role, according to testimony to the committee, will have expanded responsibilities including development of policy and procedures, home and court visits, and coordination with law enforcement, schools and community partners. "This position is different in the previous position in that it's going to be policy and procedure creating, and it will include home visits, court visits, and contact with law enforcement agencies, schools, and various community partners. It reports directly into the district attorney," Julie, a human resources staff member, told the committee.

Committee members said the reclassification uses an existing budget line for the vacant post and will be budget-neutral for the remainder of the year; the salary increase was described as "a little bit" above the prior amount and was estimated in committee discussion to be about $11,000 annually. Committee members noted the change was timed to avoid a service gap because an existing contract ends in September.

Why it matters

Committee members and public commentators framed the change as an operational decision to maintain continuity of services to crime victims and to assign a single point of responsibility inside the District Attorney's Office. During public comment, one resident said the county and committee should provide clearer documentation about job descriptions and budget impacts so the public can track where money is coming from.

What the committee heard and voted on

Julie summarized human resources items before the vote: the county's COVID quarantine leave policy expired July 31 and was communicated by newsletter and email; the county is awaiting a response from the New York State Civil Service Commission on 67 additional titles submitted at a May 6 public hearing; and the county received one proposal in response to a defensive-driving RFP from the National Safety Council, which HR is comparing to training offered through PERMA, the county's workers' compensation carrier.

On recruitment, Julie said the sheriff's office worked with HR after recent civil service exam results and scheduled a physical-agility test at Sullivan County Community College for roughly 80 candidates, held over two days next week. In risk management, HR reported an approximate $80,000 savings realized during the recent property and casualty renewal with Arthur J. Gallagher and that the county received a $5,000 safety reimbursement from PERMA for lobby security equipment. PERMA has also released a safety training grant opportunity for up to $3,500, HR said, and information will be circulated to county jurisdictions.

Public comment and civil service concerns

Several members of the public spoke during the meeting. One commenter criticized the county's level of public detail around job descriptions and budgeting and urged that changes be routed through the budget committee for transparency. Another public commenter urged the county to speed decisions on a proposed residence (referred to in the meeting as a "gateway" or stabilization residence) to avoid losing potential state funding, saying, "we're going to miss our opportunity to do this." A third public commenter discussed civil service procedures and said failing to follow civil service hiring rules could expose the county and its contractors to litigation and enforcement actions; that speaker said the county currently lacks continuous recruitment for certain positions at the ACC and said an eligible list for director-level nursing roles was void.

Vote at a glance

- Resolution: Abolish one crime victims services advocate position and create one crime victim specialist coordinator position in the Sullivan County District Attorney's Office. - Mover: Committee member Joseph Perillo. - Second: not specified in the record. - Vote: Yes 5, No 0 (committee members Amanda Ward, Louie Alvarez, Brian McPhillips, Joseph Perillo, Catherine Scott recorded as in favor). - Outcome: Approved.

Implementation and next steps

Committee members said the position will report to the District Attorney and that the county will proceed with recruitment and reclassification. The committee did not set a public timeline for posting or hiring beyond discussion that the reclassification was timed to avoid a vacancy when the existing contract ends.

Staff and committee members also said they will continue follow-up on civil service certification, the pending New York State Civil Service Commission response, the defensive-driving RFP comparison, and distribution of information about the PERMA training grant.

Members present

Amanda Ward, Louie Alvarez, Brian McPhillips, Joseph Perillo and Catherine Scott were recorded as present for the vote.