Klamath County approves hiring bonuses, relocation aid to recruit engineers after multi‑year vacancies

The Klamath County Board of Commissioners authorized public-works and human-resources staff to post two engineering positions and approved hiring bonuses and relocation assistance intended to recruit mid-career candidates for positions the county has struggled to fill.

Public-works staff told the board one senior engineer position and another engineering slot have been unfilled for multiple years; the department said there is a gap between long-tenured senior staff (25–28 years’ experience) and entry-level employees, which inhibits delivery of capital projects. The department proposed targeted pay incentives to close that gap and reduce reliance on external consultants, which it said would be more expensive.

The board approved an $8,000 hiring bonus for the county engineer position, $6,000 for an engineer II, and $4,000 for an engineer I; the motion also authorized offering relocation assistance. Commissioners asked public-works and HR to include relocation assistance language in job postings so recruiters can advertise the benefit, and asked staff to return with any specific dollar-amount policies if they decide to quantify relocation aid further.

One commissioner raised concerns about public perception of selective hiring incentives during a period when other county departments face flat budgets and cuts; another commissioner and public-works staff said the positions are funded by restricted revenue sources (for example, gas-tax or road funds) that cannot be allocated elsewhere and that hiring engineers in-house is less costly than hiring private contractors to design projects.

The board approved the motion by voice vote.

Key details recorded on the record - Department reported the engineer II position had been vacant since 2021 (board record) and that another engineer-level vacancy dates to a transition in May 2024. - Hiring incentives approved: $8,000 (county engineer), $6,000 (engineer II), $4,000 (engineer I); relocation assistance authorized (specific policy to be set by board/HR/staff later).

Speakers (attributed in this article) - Jeremy (Public Works representative), Public Works (government) - Commissioner Minty, Chair, Klamath County Board of Commissioners (government) - Commissioner Nichols, Commissioner, Klamath County Board of Commissioners (government) - Human Resources representative (Andrea Lissette present earlier in meeting)

Actions - Motion: Approve public-works recruitment posting for two engineering positions and authorize hiring bonuses ($8,000 county engineer; $6,000 engineer II; $4,000 engineer I) plus moving/relocation expenses. Mover/second: not specified. Vote: unanimous voice vote; outcome: approved.

Provenance - topicintro: {"block_id":"block_2456.70","local_start":0,"local_end":120,"evidence_excerpt":"This is, Public Works Engineering Recruitment... one of the engineer twos transitioned to the county engineer position in May 2024; that position has been open since 2021."} - topfinish: {"block_id":"block_2921.515","local_start":0,"local_end":80,"evidence_excerpt":"I would make a motion that the board approve... offering a county engineer hiring bonus of $8,000, an engineer 2 bonus of $6,000, an engineer 1 bonus of $4,000, and moving and relocation expenses... All in favor, signify with an aye."}