County submits 76 civil-service rule changes, adds 66 titles to HELP program; job fair set for June 17

Human resources staff told the Sullivan County Human Resources Committee on Wednesday that the county held a public hearing May 6 and will submit 76 changes to civil service rules, including 66 titles proposed for inclusion in the county’s HELP program, a county civil service option that lets certain competitive positions be filled through noncompetitive hiring.

Julie, who presented the changes, explained the HELP program’s effect: “So, what the HELP program does is it takes a competitive position and makes it non competitive, so then you are able to hire someone who is not on a list and in a non competitive even though there may be a list,” she said, adding the program was initially intended for recruitment and retention but has proved useful in other situations. The committee was told jurisdictions and county departments have reacted positively to the requested titles.

Julie also provided recruitment and exam updates. She said a job fair is scheduled for June 17 at the Center for Workforce Development. The county conducted its largest exam of the year May 3 at Resorts World; Julie thanked Joe (last name not specified) as the point of contact and said the venue hosted the test free of charge. Julie gave several attendance figures: about 80 scheduled for the main exam date, roughly 30 ultimately present that day, about 10 on alternate test dates, and that additional payroll certifications and exam dates have occurred since the prior report. Committee members did not dispute the figures but did not request additional immediate action.

The committee received the report for informational purposes; there was no vote on the rule changes during this meeting. Julie noted the civil service filing and public hearing had taken place and described the HELP additions as intended to expand hiring flexibility across county departments.