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Sullivan County budget staff outline year‑end process, special pays and 200+ open positions
Summary
Management and Budget staff reported on year‑end close procedures, payroll with unusually high numbers of special pays, a summary of active stipends, and hundreds of vacant county positions that officials said are affecting services and salaries.
Annie, a staff member with county budget duties, told the Office of Management and Budget Committee the county’s 2024 year‑end instructions were distributed in late November and staff were working with departments, the treasurer’s office and auditors to complete year‑end reporting.
Annie listed payroll pressures and special pays: "January is also a busy month for payroll, having 10 special pays, which is more than any other month of the year." She said special pays include longevity, infrastructure pay, raises, union uniform allowances, union sick bonuses and comp time payouts.
Stipends and vacancies: Annie provided counts of active stipends and open positions: "There are currently 44 language stipends, totaling $81,500; 71 contractual stipends, totaling $85,727; and 33 stipends totaling $191,111." She also reported 233 open positions, split as 114 vacancies at the adult care center and 119 vacancies elsewhere in the county.
Later in the meeting a different committee attendee suggested a higher vacancy figure; the transcript shows a participant asking if the number was 288. The committee did not reconcile the two figures on the record. The minutes should be read with that discrepancy in mind.
Budget timing and legal filing: Annie referenced county law for budget timing: "as per provision 354 of the county law, the budget officer is to file a tentative budget no later than 15th November," and she said the 2025 tentative budget was filed with the clerk on Nov. 1 to allow departments more time for requests.
Operational notes: Staff thanked Procurement and OMB for year‑end efforts and noted two standard five‑year contract resolutions on the agenda to continue services with the Board of Elections vendor and the county clerk’s vendor.
Ending: Committee members praised staff for the year‑end work and asked for continued early internal budget discussions to allow more time for department requests.
