Moffat County approves hiring two part-time veteran service officers

The Moffat County Board of County Commissioners on July 22 authorized hiring two part-time veteran service officers and approved offering the positions to two interviewed candidates.

Rachel Bauer, human resources, said the county posted two openings for veteran service officers. Two applicants were interviewed from the first posting: Mark Wick and James Brumbelow. Bauer said the openings are part-time, nonexempt positions limited to 20 hours per week and that the proposed starting salary range is $15.37 to $18.44 per hour. She also said the positions would have access to the employee clinic and that the start date would depend on candidate availability.

A commissioner noted the county historically had a single veteran service officer position and emphasized that hiring two people now did not establish an automatic precedent to always keep two positions filled. Another commissioner added that the positions are reimbursed by the state and said the county had been receiving only about half of available reimbursement.

A motion to authorize filling the two veteran service officer vacancies and to offer positions to the two candidates was made, seconded and approved by voice vote.

Bauer asked for authorization to proceed with offers pending the board's approval; the board voted "Aye" and the chair declared the motion carried.

The board did not set an automatic commitment to refill both positions in the future if one becomes vacant; commissioners discussed that future hiring would depend on circumstances and budget realities.

The personnel action will be implemented by human resources once offers are accepted and standard onboarding steps are completed.