Franklin County approves phone, security and personnel actions; sets domestic relations director pay

Franklin County commissioners voted to approve several contracts and salary-board personnel actions during a public meeting, including a phone-system upgrade, security camera installation and a badge-printer purchase, release of juvenile-probation grant funds, and a negotiated pay rate for the county’s incoming director of domestic relations.

The most consequential personnel decision came at salary board, where members approved an amended offer to set the director of domestic relations salary at $88,276.30. The court had sought higher pay to secure the selected candidate; Judge C. Zook, the administrative judge for the family division, and court administration urged the board to approve a higher starting rate than the county’s initial Human Resources calculation. Salary-board documents presented at the meeting said the county HR rate was $82,136.38 and the candidate had requested $90,000; the board approved $88,276.30 after discussion and a proxy vote on behalf of the president judge.

Also at salary board, members approved the release of grant-and-aid funds for juvenile probation tied to a state award totaling $134,221 for state fiscal year 2024–2025. The memo from court administration and Chief Rick Ackerman described that up to $9,750 of the award may be used for employee stipends (for master’s-degree holders and coaches/trainers as specified by the grant), and that the stipends would be reduced by payroll taxes.

On the regular agenda, the board approved an agreement with CenturyLink to replace legacy PRIs used for county phone lines at an estimated cost “about $52,000,” with roughly 70% of the cost expected to be paid from the general fund. The board also approved two agreements with Allcom: one to install cameras for the surface parking lot planned after the Sears building is removed (planned to be funded from the workers’ compensation reserve) and a second agreement to purchase a new county badge-printer at about $9,500 (also eligible for workers’ compensation reserve funding). The board approved the consent agenda, which included vouchers for a senior farmers-market voucher program funded by state allocations for the department of aging.

Correctional leadership brought a separate salary-board proposal to convert 10 rostered full-time correctional officer positions (positions 96–106 on the jail roster) to part-time status to increase scheduling flexibility amid a staffing shortfall. Warden Franzone told the board the jail currently had 54 officers on a roster that lists 106 positions and that analysis suggested a need for 86–90 full-time staff; commissioners approved the conversion to help fill shifts with part-time hires and reduce overtime pressure on existing staff.

All motions on the county board agenda were approved with affirmative votes. The director-pay motion and the juvenile-probation grant release were approved during salary board after discussion among the president judge’s representatives and court administration.

Votes at a glance: - Motion to approve agreement with CenturyLink to upgrade county phone PRIs (estimated ~$52,000): approved. - Motion to approve agreement with Allcom for parking-lot security cameras (workers’ comp reserve): approved. - Motion to approve Allcom badge-printer purchase (~$9,500): approved. - Motion to approve consent agenda (including senior farmers-market vouchers): approved. - Salary board: set director of domestic relations pay at $88,276.30 (amended motion): approved (proxy vote recorded on behalf of the president judge). - Salary board: release juvenile probation grant-and-aid funds tied to SFY 2024–2025 award of $134,221 (including up to $9,750 for stipends): approved. - Salary board: convert 10 full-time correctional officer positions to part time (positions 96–106): approved.

The board did not identify substantive legal objections to the individual agreements during the meeting; county staff said most purchases would be funded from identified reserves or general fund allocations.