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Sullivan County HR report: 42 HELP appointments approved; county schedules large civil service exam at Resorts World
Summary
County human resources staff told the committee the HELP program has produced 42 approved appointments, the county will host its largest civil service exam May 3 at Resorts World, and the sheriff's office is moving to onboard correction officers transferred from the state after an executive order expired.
Sullivan County human resources staff told the Human Resources Committee that 42 positions have been approved through the state's HELP program and that the county is preparing to host its largest civil service exam May 3 at Resorts World.
The HELP program converts certain previously competitive civil service positions to noncompetitive appointments, a change the county said is designed to speed hiring for jobs that have been hard to fill. "The HELP program helps appoint people in positions that were at one time competitive and the HELP program makes them non competitive," a county staff member said during the committee meeting.
Committee members and staff discussed delays candidates have faced waiting for exam results and the limits of local control over statewide civil service testing. One legislator suggested the county ask the state for permission to administer locally graded tests to reduce delays; staff noted some decentralization already exists, with in-house Wednesday exams for some positions.
Human resources reported a large turnout for upcoming exams: "We have over 200 candidates" overall and "the police officer exam has 180 candidates currently scheduled," staff said. The county asked permission to use Resorts World for the May 3 holding space; the committee voted later in the meeting to accept that donation of space.
On labor and staffing topics, HR reported pending negotiations with several bargaining units and continued work toward a potential memorandum of agreement (MOA) for HR services. Investigations and hearings were also discussed: HR said there were six new investigations last month (with one pending from an earlier period) and that a scheduled unemployment hearing had been rescheduled for the afternoon of the meeting.
Specific to the sheriff's office, staff said four correction officers transferred to the county from the state after a governor's executive order expired the previous day, allowing the county to pursue rehiring employees who had been terminated after participating in a strike. Staff said about eight additional candidates were "in the pipeline" for hiring who previously had been precluded from joining the county's force.
Risk management and other administrative items were also reported: renewal information for property and casualty coverage for the county's care center has been submitted; county safety committee meetings were held; Medicare premium reimbursements were issued as planned; and staff said they were working on apportionment materials for 2026.
Committee members discussed succession planning in audit and control and other offices and asked staff to continue proactive updates to the committee.
Votes related to these operational items --- notably acceptance of Resorts World space for exams and creation of a full-time fiscal administrative officer at Sunset Lake care center --- were taken later in the meeting. The committee also approved other staffing and contract-related resolutions; those votes are summarized in a separate "Votes at a glance" article.
Ending: Staff said they would continue to provide the committee with updates on exams, hiring pipelines, pending MOA details and negotiations, and risk-management items.
