Personnel Board seeks $493,600 in FY26 budget; two staff to continue hearings

The Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee on April 10 reviewed the Personnel Board's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget of $493,600 and heard that the board will continue to operate with two staff members.

The Personnel Board's manager, Carol Rubino, asked the committee to consider the FY26 request. Alex Hertel, legislative budget and policy analyst, presented the budget overview, saying the proposed amount represents a $33,500 (7.3%) increase over FY25 and that all funding comes from the county general fund. Hertel reported compensation of $301,700 (a 9.2% increase), operating expenses of $104,000 (a 0.2% increase) and noted fringe benefits will rise roughly 9.8% from the prior year.

The board's mission, Hertel said, is oversight of the county's classified merit system to ensure fair and equitable treatment under applicable employment laws. The board has five members whose terms expire Dec. 7, 2026, and the board's FY26 strategic focus is to keep the number of board decisions overturned in court at zero by presiding over efficient, impartial administrative hearings.

Rubino described the board's adjudicatory role and staff support. She said the board hears administrative appeals of human capital issues, primarily for nonunion employees on adverse actions and grievances, and for union employees only when the issue is not covered by a collective bargaining agreement. "The board hears administrative appeals of human capital issues, primarily nonunion employees issues, regarding adverse actions, and grievances," Rubino said. She clarified that the board is not investigatory but is the highest administrative board in county government, and that the next step after a board decision is a petition for judicial review in the circuit court.

Rubino and Hertel outlined the appeals process: grievances typically begin with a first-line supervisor, proceed to the department head, then to the personnel director and may be appealed to the personnel board after administrative remedies are exhausted; adverse actions affecting pay or employment status can be filed directly with the board. Rubino said the board has one professional staff attorney and one paraprofessional who manage dockets, conduct prehearing conferences and support virtual hearings.

Hertel noted the board expects to request a FY25 supplemental budget because of higher-than-anticipated operating costs for telephone allowances, supplies, and cost-of-living and merit adjustments. He also reported that the board has continued to use alternative dispute-resolution methods such as prehearing conferences and remote (Zoom) hearings.

No formal committee vote on the Personnel Board budget occurred during the April 10 briefing.

The committee hearing then moved on to other agencies on the agenda.