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Commissioners approve several HR changes; narrow inclement‑weather compensation change struck
Summary
Klamath County commissioners approved three human-resources items on Feb. 12: reclassifying the risk manager to salaried FLSA-exempt status, reallocating funds in Developmental Disabilities services to hire an additional services coordinator, and formalizing undersheriff benefits to align with nonunion positions and PERS eligibility.
Klamath County commissioners on Feb. 12 approved several human-resources items brought by county staff and discussed changes to the county's inclement weather policy.
On a motion recorded during the meeting, the board approved reclassifying the county's risk manager from an hourly to a salaried position effective Feb. 1, 2025. County staff said the position meets the Fair Labor Standards Act administrative-exemption criteria; the employee's FTE was reported to remain at 0.9375 and the pay classification was described as moving within the same step structure (UF 26 step 7). The motion carried on an affirmative voice vote.
Katie Gaither, identified in the meeting as DD Services Director, requested approval to reallocate funds from a recently vacated bilingual liaison position to hire an additional services coordinator. Gaither told the board the liaison had been promoted and that current workloads made a services coordinator a higher priority at this time. The board approved the reallocation by motion; the vote carried.
On a separate item, human-resources staff reported that Klamath County recognizes the undersheriff position as nonunion. The board approved a motion to have the undersheriff follow nonunion pay practices for cost-of-living adjustments, paid time-off accrual and payout schedules, and health insurance benefits; staff also said the undersheriff receives basic life insurance under Oregon statute and is eligible for the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS). The board approved the compensation-and-benefits memo by motion.
The board also reviewed a proposed update to the county's inclement weather policy. Commissioners considered adding clearer attendance rules for those deemed essential versus nonessential and discussed a proposed compensation change that would allow nonessential employees who voluntarily came to work during a closure to earn flex time. Several commissioners said they were concerned that offering a compensation incentive would encourage nonessential employees to put themselves and road crews at risk; the board reached consensus to adopt the attendance clarifications but not to add the compensation incentive. The final language will leave determinations of essential status to department heads and require written justification for nonessential staff who are required to report on closure days.
The personnel motions were presented by county HR staff and County Counsel Marcus Henderson reviewed the legal framework for classification changes.
