The county Personnel Board unanimously approved its fiscal year 2026 work plan and heard a monthly report from Human Resources on compensation, recruiting and benefits during its October meeting.

Board Chair called the meeting to order with members Vest, Hoover, Vice Chair Wernicke and Sher Hampton present; Member Hauser was absent. With no public comment on agenda items, the board amended the agenda to add a council report and then approved the September minutes before taking up the FY26 work plan. Member (name not specified in transcript) moved to approve the work plan; a second was recorded and the motion passed unanimously.

Human Resources presented its monthly vendor report. Staff said updates to the county compensation policy are ongoing and the department hopes to finalize revisions within about a month. HR is also working with MGT Impact Solutions on recruitments for three senior positions: fire chief (to replace Troy Hughes after his retirement), the county manager position (due to the present manager’s upcoming retirement), and a public information officer to succeed Julie Williams Hill. The department said it will provide recruitment updates at future meetings.

HR staff described work to implement a new performance-evaluation system within Munis to replace an unsupported legacy system; the system is being configured, tested and refined with feedback on scoring categories. The report noted that job descriptions are reviewed on a four-year cycle and that the next market study is expected to be solicited via RFP in fiscal year 2028 and implemented the following budget year.

On safety and risk management, staff said training-compliance rates are at or above 90 percent and that the county is rolling out a revised respirator program including new questionnaires, equipment training and updated forms. The county manager has requested a customer-service training for all employees; HR said it is working with Santa Fe Community College and outreach to Los Alamos and UNM-Los Alamos for additional trainers.

In benefits, HR staff reported that three employees attended a NEDA conference covering LEC pension and deferred-compensation plans. Open enrollment will begin with a health fair at Council Chambers on Nov. 5 and conclude Dec. 12. The presenter said the county intends to pick up half of an anticipated premium increase and employees will pick up the other half; staff described the anticipated employee share as “just over 5%” and noted retirees saw a larger increase (13.4% cited for retirees). The presenter also said copayment and deductible increases are expected. Vaccinations (usually flu and sometimes COVID) will be available to insured attendees who bring their insurance cards.

Board members asked about workforce data the committee could use, including counts of commuters living outside the county. HR said it may be able to pull home ZIP codes and display the data on a map for a future meeting. Members also asked whether temporary employees were included in hiring numbers; HR said new hires were included and that casual employees (for example, poll workers) are a small portion of totals.

Councilor Rady, participating in the meeting, suggested the Personnel Board consider whether a community advisory group could assist with reviewing elected-official salaries; staff and members said they would check the code for authority and timing (positions are revisited every two or four years depending on policy) before placing a recommendation before council. Rady also noted two council ordinances on that evening’s agenda tied to tax rate adjustments and a $40 million bond issuance for a broadband initiative; she said those items are related to broader budget and rate-setting discussions the council was addressing.

The board confirmed there will be no meeting in November and that the December meeting is likely to be canceled unless the new HR manager requests a meeting. The chair announced their upcoming retirement and adjourned the meeting.